Catch A Shooting Star
by Lady M Harris
Summary: This story was written by my sister who doesn't have an email address at the moment. An action-romance adventure story surrounding Sailor Star Healer and an intriguing, American new high school student! Completed story!
1. Chapter 1-5

CATCH A SHOOTING STAR  
  
RATING:R  
  
By Jeanne Stumbaugh  
  
CHAPTER:One  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and characters from the Sailor Moon continuum belong to its creator. It is not my intention to gain any profits from the characters.  
  
Sorry, guys, but my email is down!!! You won't be able to reach me if you want to comment on my story for a little while anyway. My motherboard had gone south on me (Something about the way it communicates with my modem is messed up. "AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" to quote Lucy from Peanuts.) and it'll be a little while before I can either bypass the problem or, heaven forbid, replace the motherboard (Which will take even longer.). Anyway, if you really want to send something to me, I'm pretty sure that if you ask her really nicely, my sister, Michelle Harris here, will find some way of getting it to me.  
  
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:  
  
Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One  
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two  
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three  
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four  
Chapters 21 thru 24 are now Chapter Five  
Chapter 25 is the Chapter Six  
  
I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.  
  
Part One  
  
The sun was shining softly down on the Tenth Street High School, luring many a student out into the quad and grassy areas of the campus. It'd been raining off and on for the past few days and it had made the air clean and sweet, even for Tokyo.  
This was lost on the girl walking slowly through a grassy patch between buildings, heading for a set of trees on the far side. She had her nose buried in a thick book, deeply engrossed in the subject matter. Dressed in the standard sailor uniform for Tenth Street High School and other than the fact that her skirt was a little too short, she was no different than any other young high school girl. Except, most young high school students in Tokyo were Japanese. This girl was of Caucasian ancestry, with gleaming hair a color darker than true red and lighter than auburn, confined in a tight braid, falling past her waist, and deep, smoky violet eyes framed with dark curling lashes. Average height and weight, a wiry muscular build disguised by the uniform.  
There was nothing very spectacular about her appearance. She wasn't beautiful in the conventional sense of the word but neither was she plain. Striking had been one of the words used to describe her although the girl tended to disagree, honestly not believing she was anything other than ordinary.  
She was definitely not paying any attention to her surroundings, which is why she ended up sprawled across the lap of a very surprised Japanese high school boy. Whipping her head around to stare over her shoulder, she saw that she had tripped over the boy's schoolbag. With her cheeks flaming in embarrassment, she slid off his lap and turned to apologize him.  
Her breath caught as she took in his beauty. Brilliant peridot green eyes gazed out at her from a face more pretty than handsome. A face framed by long silver hair, pulled back and fastened at the nape of his neck with cording rather than a rubber band. He wore a stylized black high school uniform with lots of banding and zippers over the collar and pockets; there was a little golden star on the center front of the collar. And, of course, sneakers completed the uniform.  
She wasn't expecting the bored contempt she read in his eyes and clamped down on her reaction, slipping an unemotional mask over her own face, "I'm sorry about that. I'm afraid I wasn't watching where I was going."  
"Oh, it's all right," a new voice answered, making her realize the boy wasn't sitting alone. "We understand."  
There were two other boys there, dressed in the same fashion as the other. One boy with dark brown hair and the other with black hair. Both had long hair as well, and pulled back in the same manner as the silver-haired one. The one with black hair was sprawled back, leaning on his elbow with a cocky grin on his face. The one with brown hair was seated lotus-style, an open book in his hands and a slight smile on his face.  
Seated next to both of them was a girl with blond hair pulled up into a ball on either side of her head and pigtails trailing down from them. Wide blue eyes and a friendly smile lit up her face. She was dressed in the high school uniform with a pair of non-regulation, bunny-cartoon socks.  
The last thing the boy had said suddenly had her frowning."Wait, I seem to have missed something here. What do you understand, exactly?"  
"Oh, that you were so impressed by my friend here, you lost your footing and, of course, it was the perfect way to meet him," the earlier voice belonged to the black-haired boy, who was answering her now. "Happens to all three of us all the time."  
"Is that what you thought?" she looked at the silver-haired one quizzically.  
"Yes," he raised an elegant eyebrow at her. "Because it's true, isn't it?"  
"How crushed would you be if I said no?" Her lips twisted as she turned to the other girl, "Are they always like this?"  
The girl nodded, an amused grin lighting her face, "I'm afraid so."  
"I see." The girl stared at the black-haired boy for a moment before asking, "Would you mind explaining why I'd be impressed with him? Or even why anyone would be impressed by and want to meet such a huge bunch of self-impressed ego-maniacs such as yourselves?"  
That got their attention right quick, the girl noted with some satisfaction. The brown-haired one stiffened, indignantly huffing and opened his mouth to retort when the black-haired one sat bolt upright, demanding, "Hey! Who're you calling an ego-maniac?!"  
But the silver-haired one latched onto the point behind her question and asked, "You don't even know who we are, do you?"  
"Yes!" The girl grinned, clapping her hands daintily. "He can be taught! And you're right, I don't know who you are. You see, I tripped on your schoolbag because I was too interested in reading than in watching where I was going."  
The brown-haired boy retrieved the book and frowned down at the cover, "The Gestalt of the Killer's Mind: A Study in the Psychology of a Serial Killer. This is some serious reading."  
He handed her the book as she nodded, "I'm taking come Criminology courses out of the University of Berkeley over the Internet. This is required reading for one of the classes."  
"What a blow!" The black-haired boy flopped onto his back. "Upstaged by a book about criminals. Figures," he laughed then rose back onto his elbow, turning a teasing eye on the blond girl, "You know, this is all your fault, O-Dango. You started a trend."  
"Oh, no. Don't blame this on me," the girl rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault if not everyone in the world knows who you are," she pulled up a handful of grass and tossed it at him. He laughed lightheartedly, dodging the blades of grass as they showered onto him and brushing the rest out of his hair and off his clothes.  
"Well," the girl admitted, readily, "I haven't been in Japan for very long, you know. Just since the beginning of the school year. "I take it that you boys are some sort of celebrities?"  
"They're the Three Lights," the girl answered for them. "They're a 'Super Idol Group'. The loud mouth here," she pointed to the black-haired boy, "is Kou Seiya. This one," she pointed to the brown-haired boy, "is Kou Taiki. He's a major brain. And the one you tripped over is Kou Yaten. And I'm Tsukino Usagi."  
"Oh, I'm pleased to meet you," there was a distinctive twinkling in smoky violet eyes. "I'm Tia MacKenzie. Wait a minute! Did you say Three Lights? Now there's a name I've heard before. But where? Hmmm.... Oh! Now I remember! My brother, Brian, likes to collect   
popular music from different parts of the world. The salesclerk at the music store I went to recommended one of your albums."  
"So?" Taiki raised a brow at her.  
"So? So what?" Tia grinned at him, impudently. "You guys are all right. I've heard better though," she suppressed a bark of laughter at the outraged expression which crossed over Yaten's face. "May I ask you guys something?" She waited until they all nodded. "Well, I remember thinking while I was listening that you were trying to send some kind of message. That much I heard," she was staring downwards and so didn't see the startled glances the boys exchanged with each other, although Usagi did and was puzzled over it, "but, I can also remember wondering if you enjoyed singing at all. Do you?"   
"What do you mean?" Seiya asked his brow furrowing in puzzlement.  
"Just what I said. Do you enjoy singing? Do you have joy in the music? Or are you just singing to try and get that message sent?" She tilted her head at them, "I mean, I can't say I know who the message is to or what exactly the message is, since you weren't sending it to me, but is that the only reason you're singing? Cause if it is, I think that's why you're not as good as you could be."  
As she spoke, she wondered if anyone had ever asked them this. From the surprised looks they shared with each other, she suspected no one ever had. She also suspected hardly anyone had ever been critical of their style. She knew she'd gotten Yaten's back up, from the way he was stiffening. She stifled her grin, knowing he wouldn't receive it very well. Not that she'd mind going head to head with him; she enjoyed a good dust up now and then.  
"Why should we care about what you think?" Yaten retorted, tension underlying his voice. "We got plenty of people who think we're great."  
"There's great," she smirked at him, irking him to no end, "and then there's phenomenal. Besides, who wants to just stay as you are? Don't you want to be better? You know, if you don't strive to be better, you won't go anywhere. Anyway, I know my opinion doesn't matter to you. It's just what I think. You go you're own way. Just think about it."  
Yaten sneered back at her, "Why should we? Like you said, your opinion doesn't matter to us."  
"You know," she retrieved her book from Taiki, and stood up in one smooth motion, "you got way too much attitude in that little body of yours, BOY. Maybe you ought to work a little more on your manners, rather than your style." She pivoted around on her heel, throwing over her shoulder, "I'll see you around, Yaten-kun...maybe."  
Yaten ground his teeth together, in angry frustration. Tia had got the best of him on this round and he didn't like it one bit. He glared at her as she moved away. He'd tell her a thing or two the next time they went at it. Then what he was thinking hit him. The next time? What was he thinking? There wouldn't be a next time, not if he could help it.  
Seiya was laughing his head off at him, "She sure put you in your place, didn't she? That was priceless!"  
"Oh, right," Yaten tossed the other boy a disgusted look. "Like I really care."  
He opened his mouth to say more, but he stopped at the sound of Tia's voice. The others apparently didn't hear it as they were speaking quietly to each other. He did, though, and his peridot eyes widened as he realized she was singing.  
Her voice, low and clear, reached out to him and wrapped itself around the base of his spine like a lover's silken caress.  
  
. . . Who can tell me if we have heaven,  
Who can say the way it should be  
Moonlight holly, Sappho Comet  
Angels' tears below a tree. . .   
  
As her voice faded away, Yaten shivered slightly, although he had no idea why.  
  
  
PART TWO  
  
A large crowd gathered around the posting board of the Tenth Street High School. The new test results were up and students were eager (or not) to see their scores. As the students perused the scores, they groaned or nodded, satisfied (or not) at their marks. Then they continued reading, picking out the names of friends or rivals, and of course, the top students.  
This time there was a three-way tie for first place. A rare event, since most students hadn't realized there were more than two real brains in the school. It set the students buzzing. Ami Mizuno and Taiki Kou both placed first, of course. But this third person was spelled out in English, since she was an American exchange student. And that really set the other students buzzing; not only was this person a new student, but was a foreigner as well.  
Yaten, standing in front of the board, ignored the buzz around him, his eyes flicking over his marks and those of his friends. His eyes paused on the English name posted next to Taiki's, his face going wooden.  
So. Not only was she a smart-aleck but she was a brain also. Too bad she didn't use it for much. He was being totally unfair, of course, but then when someone rubs you the wrong way, you don't tend to be very fair.  
He elbowed his way rudely past the throng. Free of the crowd, he breathed in deeply and, with a backwards glance, walked towards home room. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and walked smack into the one person he wanted to avoid.  
Tia.  
Who was grinning impudently at him. And standing way too close, he realized, staring at  
her silently. Inexplicably, he had a sudden urge to close the distance between them. Close the  
distance and---he caught himself.  
Close the distance and what, fool? He thought, savagely. Sweep her into your arms and kiss her? Like one of those idiot heroes in those silly romance novels Usagi likes so much?  
The thing of it was, that was exactly what he wanted to do, he realized, shocked. It shook him badly, this urge. As if he'd discovered that the control he'd prized so highly was an illusion, subject to odd fits and starts with the most peculiar timing.  
"What is it? From the way you're scowling, it can't be any good. And I'll bet it's about me, too," if anything, her grin became even more impudent.  
Which made him more irritated, especially since it was true, "Why would you think that?" He hadn't meant to snap, but there was something about her that got under his skin.  
"Well, you'd just run into me. I'm probably your least favorite person after what I said the last time we saw each other," she shrugged, a slight movement of her shoulders that made his hands itch. "So, that was probably it. You don't like me, although I really don't have anything against you, except maybe your manners."  
"What an argument. I hope you don't plan on being a lawyer."  
"Nope. And I'll admit that it wasn't much of an argument, so don't hold it against me."  
"Maybe I will, I haven't decided," he raised a brow at her a way she found most annoying. He grinned, inordinately pleased he'd gotten a response out of her.  
She shook her head, unnerved at the way she had reacted to the grin he'd tossed her way. It had made her stomach flutter and her breath catch. It peeved her, but she was honest enough to recognize her attraction to him. This disturbed her. It meant she was vulnerable. Dangerously so. She didn't know what she could do to change it; and worse, she didn't want to. It meant that she'd close him out; and the possibilities were very intriguing and what she could gain far outweighed any potential pain.  
She bit her lip, then slid a sly look at him, "Whatever. Makes no never mind to me."  
The smile that curved her lips, was mysterious, faintly knowing and a challenge, did she but know it. And it captivated Yaten immediately, far more securely than any net or trap could.  
Darkness had fallen over Tokyo and she'd put on her twinkling jewels of light when Tia wandered through the labyrinth-like corridors of Galaxy T.V. She'd come with dinner for her elder sister, Nikki, who worked as a technician in one of the production departments. She'd chatted a few minutes, delivering a message from her brother-in-law, Takumi.  
"Oh, now, that's odd," she murmured quietly, sighting a production studio ahead of her. "I must've took a wrong turn somewhere. This studio's not anywhere near the exit, I don't think."  
Flashing strobe lights caught her eye and she spied a crowd of reporters clustered around  
someone. Curious, she rose to tip-toes, trying for a glimpse of their victim. She saw a flash of silver hair making halting progress through the throng of reporters. Then a familiar voice cut through the reporters' shrill ones.  
Well, that figures, a wry smile curved her lips. Only he would have a crowd of reporters around him in a television studio and not know how to get away from them. And why I'm going to save him from those reporters is beyond me. I'll figure it out later.  
She trotted towards the group. She had just about reached it when Yaten finally burst from the group. He whirled to face them, abruptly, "Look, I don't have anything more to say to you. Would you please go away?"  
There was a spate of questions and shouts from the group. Not exactly the response he wanted. She'd always found that reporters were normally very dense. And even more dense when it was really important. But then, reporters were a separate species from humans, as far as she was concerned.  
She grinned as she felt Yaten stiffen in surprise when she took his arm. Still ginning, and quite impishly at that, she exclaimed, "There you are! I'd almost given up finding my way through this place. Boy, it sure is like a maze in here isn't it?" She started, as if noticing the reporters for the first time, then smiled hugely, "Oh! Hi, there."  
She could almost see the little cogs and wheels in their minds start spinning at warp speed. She knew what they were thinking and was going to put them in their place right quick. Her experience with the press wasn't very nice, but it'd taught her how to deal with them at any rate. She repressed the predatory smile trying to surface. It might scare them off and she didn't want them to run before she could have a little fun.  
"What the heck are you doing here?" Yaten hissed in her ear, his warm breath doing wonderfully tingly things to her knees.  
"Idiot," she whispered back, her smile plastered on. "Don't fight with me. I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? I'll tell you later what I'm doing here."  
"Yaten! Yaten! Who's the lovely lady?" A particularly loud voice rose above the throng.  
"Yes, introduce us," an elegant female reporter held out her microphone, smiling charmingly.  
Despite himself, Yaten found himself responding to the her smile. He'd just opened his mouth when, to his utter shock, he felt Tia's fingers slip under the back of his jacket and under his shirt. They danced a short way up his spine then down again, trailing goosebumps as they went. He sucked in his breath, silently, and stared into deep violet eyes inquiringly.  
Quietly, she whispered, "Typical male. Let me handle this." She raised her voice to its normal pitch, turning towards the crowd of reporters, "Sorry, folks, but we don't have time for intro's right now. If you'll excuse us?"  
"But who are you?" The elegant reporter cried out. "Are you his girlfriend?"  
"Even if I was," there was steel in the girl's voice now, "it would be none of your business."  
"The Three Lights' fans have a right to know," the female reporter countered, determinedly.  
"Hmm, so they do," violet eyes gleamed, mischievously. "I suppose I can tell you. In fact, I'll tell you everything," she beckoned the woman over, leaning close. "Well, the truth is...," she paused long enough to make the woman squirm, "we go the to the same school." The woman glared, and Tia feigned astonishment, "Well, you wanted to know everything. Don't be mad at me if what you find out disappoints you," she grinned, lightly slapping the woman's cheek. She turned, taking Yaten by the arm, steering him away from the crowd of reporters, "Come on, you. I'll treat you to dinner." She grinned wickedly, whispering, "Oh, man, I haven't had that much fun for a while."  
  
"Here," Yaten caught the helmet Tia tossed him. "Hop on. I'll run you home."  
"You don't need to," he stared as she mounted her sleek, black racing_type motorcycle. "I can call a taxi."  
"Oh, yes I do. Those reporters come out and see you waiting for a taxi, they'll descend on you like a pack of wolves."  
"Why did you help me get out of there anyway?"  
"Couldn't help it, you looked like a deer caught in headlights."  
"Thanks," he couldn't keep sarcasm from his voice. "You didn't have to help me you know."  
"Oh? I should've just left you to those hyenas then?" There was no answer to that, so she  
continued, "Especially Miss Wonderful in there. My God, you fell for her like a ton of bricks."  
"I could've handled her."  
"Oh sure, that's why you had that dopey look on your face when she smiled at you. Face it, she'd've chewed you up and spit you out," she started the engine to the motorcycle. "Get on. Before they come out."  
Jamming the helmet on, he mounted the motorcycle behind her. A moment later, he clutched her waist tightly as the bike lurched into motion. They cruised down the dark streets of the city, moving adroitly in traffic. She handled the bike as if she were a real pro, moving deftly through traffic.  
They were in a darkened section of town where a lot of small mom-and-pop businesses were located, when Tia came across a mystery, although she didn't know it, consciously, at the time. They'd stopped at an intersection, waiting for the green light, when Tia glanced to her right and saw a large, white delivery van being unloaded. The store it was in front of was a very small business which wasn't open, like almost every other business in the area, except a few convenience stores. Something didn't seem quite right to her but now wasn't the time to go into it. The light changed and she drove on.  
  
Yaten was puzzled when they stopped in front of a large house surrounded by a high wall. While these types of houses weren't uncommon in Tokyo, he didn't live in one. Tia dismounted and motioned for him to do so as well.  
"What're we doing here?" He demanded as soon as they'd removed their helmets.  
"Have you eaten yet?" She ignored his question, shaking out her braid.  
"No, but--."  
"Neither have I. So let me treat you to dinner. Come on inside, I promise I won't jump you."  
They passed through the inner courtyard, crossing to a small building, brightly lit from within. What Tia called "in-law" quarters. It consisted of a living room, den, bedroom and a kitchen/dining room and two spare bedrooms. The quarters had been specially made up for her when she decided to transfer to Japan.  
"This is where you live?"  
"Yeah, the house belongs to my brother-in-law, Miyake Takumi, and my sister, Nikki Miyake. They and their family live over in the main house. This is all mine, even down to the utility bills," she gave a mock sigh of dejection.  
A weird roiling sound interrupted them and they both looked in the direction it had come from. Yaten in Tia's direction and Tia downwards at her abdomen. She blushed quite prettily and burst out laughing, "Well, I guess someone was trying to tell me something! So was that 'I'm hungry,' or was that 'Hurry up, you moron, feed me!'?"  
"Oh a definite 'Hurry up, you moron, feed me!'," Yaten laughed, not even concealing his  
amusement.  
"Here," Tia picked a flat, plastic box from the table and flipped it at Yaten. "Put that in the CD player, please. Then you set the table."  
Inserting the CD and hitting play, he stood listening to the music coming from around him. Rock and roll, but not the hard stuff. The beat was infectious and he found himself moving to it. The voice, when it came, was as smooth and warm as a fine brandy. Yaten admired the singer's control and smooth delivery. Whoever he was, he was very good.  
He studied the album cover. Staring at the man pictured, Yaten grinned. He never would've figured she'd listen to his guy, but it took all types, he guessed. He assumed, of course, she'd bought the CD because the singer was cute and not for any other reason.  
He wandered into the kitchen, and leaned against a counter, crossing his ankles, "Like the music."  
"Oh, good," she smiled at him, chopping an onion. "You can't get that here, yet. My older sister, Trina, sent it to me. My brother'll be pleased to hear you like his music."  
"Your brother?"  
"Yes, that's his CD we're listening to. His latest. It's not in stores until next month."  
"He's your brother?" Yaten couldn't have been more surprised than if a cat came up and spoke to him.  
Tia grinned, knowing his thoughts a tee. She admitted that had she been anything other than Brian's sister, she might have. She wasn't immune to the good looks of singers and superstars; she'd be blind and dead if she was. But she loved the music best of all, and she wouldn't buy any album on a singer's looks.  
"He sure is. Brian MacKenzie, lead singer of Whiplash. Probably one of the most arrogant men on the face of this planet, second only to you and your two buddies."  
"Look here, don't you go...," Yaten stopped as she playfully waved the chopping knife at him.  
"Ah, ah, ah. Never upset the cook. I offered to make dinner. Don't tempt me to make you dinner. Go set the table."  
"Geez, the way you order me around," Yaten sighed, as if greatly put upon. "You'd almost think I'm your wife."  
"Wife? Oooooo, now there's an interesting notion. But aren't you overlooking one little detail?"  
"Oh, yeah? What's that?"  
"Well, if you're my wife, I'd be your husband. Don't husbands have to be men? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a man."  
"Oh, I'd noticed," Yaten said to himself under his breath, flicking a sly look over her, admiring the backside presented to him in worn jeans. "Oh, yeah, I've definitely noticed."  
"What was that?"  
"What was what?" Yaten raised his voice loud enough for her to hear. "I didn't say anything."  
They passed a pleasant time over dinner. They bantered about this and that, argued about  
important issues and surprised each other by agreeing on a great many of them. Yaten couldn't  
remember when he'd laughed as much. Tia was pleased at his sharp-as-a-tack wit and intelligence. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had engaged her in a verbal battle as readily as he had and gave as good as he got.  
Tia found herself staring at him, pondering the twists of life. She'd never really had much time for boys before transferring to Japan. Her life had been focused on studying, on learning to be the best investigator she'd could be. She'd always thought that they were more trouble than they were worth, truth to tell. And now a twist of fate gave her this young man.  
And she wanted him, she admitted to herself. She hardly understood why, she'd just met him. And she didn't really get along with him. She wanted to lose herself in him and never come out. It scared and elated her at the same time.  
There was only one problem. Yaten was so wary of the female populace and their feelings, he'd run a mile before facing someone with romantic feelings towards him.  
The trick is, her lips quirked in a smile, to chase him so hard, he'll catch me, as Grandma says. And I'll do it, too  
  
After dropping Yaten off at home half an hour later, she zoomed home, taking the same route as before. She stopped at the light, glancing down the street. The delivery truck was gone, but she expected that. There was a car parked there and lights shown in the upper storey, where the stock rooms were located. Something niggled at her again, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Again she stored the details in her memory for perusal later.  
  
Hours later, she jerked upright with a gasp, emerging from sleep instantly, "Dammit! That's what it was!"  
The thing that'd been bothering her when she'd seen the delivery van and the car sitting out in front of the store had finally hit her. The van had been making a delivery at the wrong time. Usually deliveries were made sometime during business hours or before business hours.  
As it so happened, she was a patron of the store and she remembered seeing a small loading dock in the rear, near the store rooms. But the delivery made was through the front of the store. She remembered two men who'd been standing to one side of the van, watching the unloading. They'd been speaking with one another, one with his hands in his pockets and the other had been smoking. And both had been wearing suits. Not exactly proper uniforms for delivery men. And since when did two delivery men sit out the unloading of a van?  
Then there was that car. She knew she'd known what kind of car it was. Her brother, Michael, had a similar model. It was a Bentley. She knew the owners of that establishment and knew that their budgets didn't run to expensive cars. They'd have to take out a mortgage just to for the down payment on that car.  
Those lights in the stock rooms were unusual, too. Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura, the couple who owned the store, never did any kind of inventory work at night. They had two part-time employees do it sometime during business hours. Mrs. Nakamura told her once that her husband never let anyone do anything after hours because he worried that some night, a ruffian would break into the store or assault them outside.  
She wanted to turn over and go back to sleep. She wanted not to worry over it. She never expected she'd have to take up the role of defender again so soon. More than anything, she wanted to be just relatively normal gain. To just have to worry about what she was going to get on the next test or homework assignment.  
Then she smiled, sadly, softly and most of all in resignation, as two well-remembered,  
much-loved and missed voices suddenly scolded her for her self-pity. They told her what she had to do, why she had to do it and to stop being such a ninny. There was no point in whining about it anymore. She would start digging tomorrow.  
  
  
  
PART THREE  
  
Tia was leaving school the next day when Usagi hailed her. She grinned as Usagi hurried up to her. She really liked Usagi, not only because she was delightfully zany, but because she had a generous heart.  
"Hey, come on!" Tia suddenly found herself being dragged willy-nilly behind Usagi.   
"But, what--? Hey, where are we going?" Tia regained her balance enough to stop. "Geez, girl, where's the fire?"  
"Huh?" Usagi, not used to American idioms, gave her a strange look.   
"What's the rush?" Tia grinned, hands on her hips. "You're running at full speed like a fire company rushing to put out a five-alarm fire."  
"Oh! My friends are meeting for coffee and I wanted to introduce you," she put a hand to the back of her head, a sheepish look on her face, "and I'm late."  
"I'd love to meet them," Tia grinned, pointing over her shoulder, "but we need to go that way."  
"Yeah, but the restaurant is that way," Usagi pointed in the opposite direction.   
"Yes, but I left my wheels in that direction," Tia laughed, letting the other girl in on the joke. "Come on, I'll give you a lift."  
When she saw that Tia's 'wheels' was a motorcycle, Usagi eyed her warily.  
"It's perfectly safe, you know. I'm a good driver," Tia caught dubious look the other girl had on her face. "I trained with a stunt rider who was the best in the business. I promised to learn from her or my brother would never have let me climb onto one. He thought I was crazy to want one," she plunked her spare helmet on Usagi's head.   
They made good time. So good they beat the others to the restaurant by a good five minutes. They made small talk while they waited. Minako was the first arrival, bubbling and sparkling as usual, and she stopped in her tracks when she saw that Usagi was already there and waiting. Well that's a first, the surprised thought drifted through her mind, Usagi's actually here and waiting for everyone else.  
Introductions were made, and Tia found herself deluged with questions about her life in the U.S. She was hard put keeping up as the other girl fired off questions like bullets out of an machine gun. Several times she laughingly asked the other to slow down.  
Ami and Makoto came next, having walked over together. Ami had a black cat draped over one shoulder. Introductions were made again ending with the introduction of the cat, Luna. If Tia thought being introduced to a cat was unusual, she didn't show it. She merely extended her fingers, palm up, and allowed Luna to introduce herself to the girl's scent. Then she allowed Tia  
to caress her briefly before sitting in Usagi's lap.   
"Hi guys!" A new voice drew their attention. "Look who I just ran into."  
Rei had arrived and with her was a tall young man with shaggy brown hair. Draped over Rei's shoulder was a white cat. She stopped, staring at the stranger sitting amongst her friends, then marched forward, allowing herself to be introduced. They also introduced Yuichiro Kumada, the young man who'd come in with Rei. The last to be introduced was the other cat, Artemis. Tia extended her hand again as she'd done with Luna. She smiled as Artemis  
delicately sniffed at her fingers and allowed himself to be caressed.   
Tia, staring at the crescent-shaped patch on his forehead, asked, "Are Artemis and Luna twins?"   
"No," Usagi shook her head. "Why do you ask?"  
"Well, Artemis and Luna both have these moon-shaped patches on their heads," Tia stroked under Artemis's chin. "And their names, of course. Luna is the Latin for moon, which was the symbol for Diana, the Roman Goddess of the Hunt, and Artemis is the Greek for Diana. I thought that maybe if they were litter mates that you might name them like that. Come to  
think of it, Usagi, doesn't your last name, Tsukino mean 'of the moon'?" she'd looked up at the girls, missing the startled looks the cats threw at each other.  
Luna and Artemis weren't ordinary cats by any means; they were quite intelligent, perhaps even more so than most humans. Most people didn't make the connection between their names or even Usagi's, which made her question all the more startling. Perhaps this girl warranted closer scrutiny.  
The girls were a lively group and, as the subjects became more general, Tia found herself laughing a great deal. Like Minako, the other girls had many questions about living in another country. Makoto and Rei both asked if they could practice their newly learned English skills on her. Then Usagi and Rei got into an argument over something one or the other did. Tia, watching the two arguing, let loose a peal of laughter that stopped their argument dead.  
"What in the world are you laughing about?" Usagi gaped at the laughing girl beside her.  
Tia, wiping tears from her eyes, gasped, "You two sound just like sisters."  
"Sisters?" Rei was plainly outraged at the comparison. "No way! I don't sound that way."  
Usagi snorted, contemptuously, "You've got to be kidding! If I were related to her, I'd secede from the family."  
"Well, good," Rei snorted back, folding her arms under her chest. "I wouldn't want to be related to a crybaby like you anyway."  
"Who're you calling a crybaby, you nit?!"  
They fell back into their argument and had Tia laughing even harder than before. They turned on her and she threw up her hands in surrender, "No, no, don't eat me! Besides, you're embarrassing Yuichiro here, the way you're going at each other."  
"No, they're not," Yuichiro grinned, leaning his elbows on the table, steepling elegant fingers. "They do this all the time at the Temple."  
Tia stared at him, hard, suddenly reminded of someone. She put it in the back of her mind to stew a while, eventually it'd come to her. If she concentrated, the name would escape her.  
She suddenly went still. She didn't know how she could know Yaten walked into the room, but she did. She raised here eyes to the door and the three now standing there. Yaten's eyes found hers immediately and they stared at each other for a long time, feeling as if a great hand had wrapped itself around their chests and was squeezing tightly.  
Their fascination with each other hadn't gone unnoticed. Seiya and Taiki exchanged surprised glances. Usagi, while generally considered quite unworldly, was sharper than her friends gave her credit for, hid a smile. Rei clenched her fists in her lap, envious of what passed between Tia and Yaten. And Yuichiro, sitting across from her, watched Rei with a slight smile on his face and a gleam in his eye. Minako and Makoto, busy talking between themselves, missed the look. Luna and Artemis looked at each other in an oddly knowing way.  
Usagi broke the tension by calling out loudly enough to make Tia jump, "Hey guys! Come on over." She bumped Tia with her hip, "Hey, move over and let them in."  
Tia looked sharply at Usagi, but slid over with a low grumble. Seiya and Taiki slid into the opposite end of the booth, forcing Yaten into sitting right next to Tia. They eyed each other warily, like wild beasts circling the unknown. They silently came to the same conclusion that the other wasn't going to jump them and relaxed a little.  
"So...," Seiya cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. "What's up?"  
"Oh, you know, same thing," Usagi grinned, eyes dancing from Yaten to Tia and back. "Oh, do you guys know Yuichiro-san?"   
The boys shook their heads and, of course, introductions had to be made. The males fell into talking about music. How could they not, when the boys were celebrities and Yuichiro was a musician, albeit a bad singer, but a musician nonetheless. Taiki, Seiya and Yuichiro were surprised when Tia broke in with some insightful remarks on the music business.   
"Tia-san, how do you know so much?" Yuichiro asked.  
Tia grinned, propping her chin on a fist, "My brother, Brian, is in the biz, you know. He's lead singer in a band called Whiplash. It's not difficult to pick up on things about the biz, if you listen carefully."  
Tia glanced at Yaten through her eyelashes. Yaten, enchanted with that glance, got distracted. Taiki, Yuichiro and Seiya all stifled their smiles. The girl got him hooked right and tight. And she wasn't even trying very hard.  
"Your brother's in a band?" Usagi broke in suddenly, impressed, "You're joking right?"  
"Nope. Here, I'll show you," she scrounged in the backpack, extracted two CD jewel cases, and handed the bottom one to Usagi. She grinned and pointed to the man sitting in the foreground, "That's him."  
"How do we know this guy is your brother?" Rei gave her a suspicious look, her suspicions were unfounded; they stemmed from a little green-eyed monster.  
"Oh, don't take my word for it," Tia was digging through her backpack again. "But pictures speak a thousand words. There's a family portrait we did a couple of years ago in there. I'm the cute one in the corner."  
"Oh, god," Yaten rolled his eyes, flipping open the photo album. He raised his eyebrows at the sheer size of the family, "Wait, all of these people are your immediate family?"  
"Yep," she leaned close, pointing to different people in the picture. "These two gorgeous people in the middle were my parents. And the rest are my brothers and sisters."  
'Were her parents?' Yaten wondered silently, then the rest of what she'd said hit him, "All these people are your blood? You've got to be joking!"  
"No. Some are adopted and foster brothers and sisters. I've got, let's see, six natural brothers, four natural sisters, three adopted brothers, two adopted sisters, two foster brothers and a foster sister. That's eighteen brothers and sisters all together," she grinned hugely at their dumbfounded expressions. She leaned close to Yaten, naming the people in the picture.  
Yaten turned his head slightly her scent filling his nostrils, and desire shot through him. He leaned closer filling his senses with her. Sensing his feelings, she leaned closer, lifting her eyes. He fought the urge to drag her into his lap and kiss her senseless. He smiled slightly and she answered with one of her own, a predatory thing which made him swallow. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, totally oblivious to the rest of the world, "You'd best be careful, I might just take you up on that."  
She hissed in surprise, her cheeks pinked delightfully, but she whispered back, gamely, "Oh, I'm not worried about that. And watch it, or I may just do something highly outrageous."  
"You wouldn't dare." Then he sucked in an astonished, shuddering breath as she raked her fingers up the inside of his thigh.  
"Oh yeah?" her eyes were half-hooded, but gleamed mischievously, as she ran he fingers up and down his leg again, dangerously close to a part of him that was suddenly, painfully hard. "Careful, or it might become highly embarrassing for you to stand."  
The others watched, fascinated at the byplay between them, but thankfully they couldn't see what was going on underneath the table. They strained their ears to catch the two were saying to each other but only caught a word or two. This was very interesting.  
"Oh, my god," Yaten's whisper was ragged as he grabbed her hand, flattening it against his thigh. "Don't do that," he whispered something in her ear, which made her go a fiery red.  
"Oh, my god," her whisper was just as ragged as his had been. "Okay, you win this time. But don't think you've beat me. Not yet."  
"Wouldn't dream of it," he jumped in shock as, when she withdrew her hand from his thigh, she brushed it straight over his crotch. "Oh, god."  
"Just a little reminder." She raised her voice now so the others could hear, "Now, where was I?" She talked about her family for a few minutes more then, "Okay, now, turnabout's fair play, guys. You've had me running my mouth off for five minutes. Your turn," she turned to Makoto. "Tell me about yourself so I can ask you questions."  
Makoto laughed lightly. They fell to talking about her passion: cooking. And so it went, she drew each out, learning a little about them. She spoke intelligently of the things she did know, and asked questions about what she didn't know. She was amused by the incongruity of Rei, who went to a Catholic-run school but wasn't a Christian herself. She argued with Ami and Taiki about recent technological breakthroughs and discussed the finer points of football the Seiya. She had Usagi and Minako giggling over her impressions of some heroines in some of the more recent romance novels. Even Yaten came out of his shell, contributing to the conversation.  
Throughout this, she kept giving Yuichiro small, puzzled glances. There was something about him, something she recognized and it was driving her crazy that she couldn't figure out what. Five minutes later, she brought her fist down on the table, making everybody jump, "That's it! Yuichiro-san, you come from Kobe, don't you?"  
Mystified, he nodded and she hooted, triumphantly, "I've met your parents! Akira-sama and Sayaka-sama right? You look like your mother," she grinned at his flabbergasted expression. "I met them last year, at a charity fashion show in Los Angeles. It's the way you move, it's just like your mom. And certain facial features too, I think."  
It took a moment for Yuichiro to come to grips with how small the world could really be, sometimes. For a while, talking of his parents, he became what he was, a well-brought-up young man, witty and sophisticated. This was a side of him that none of the others had ever seen of him. While open and guileless, he was remarkably closed-mouthed about his past and family. They were quite fascinated about what he was revealing about himself.  
Rei looked down at her clenched hands, just as fascinated by Yuichiro's past as the others. She was upset and not a little jealous at the ease in which the other girl had drawn him out. She was so used to the Yuichiro she knew and saw at the Temple everyday, she didn't really know what to make of this other Yuichiro, the charming, witty young man who was sparkling under the attention of this other girl. She'd seen glimpses of this face of him, glimpses so fleeting she'd easily forgotten about them.  
Yuichiro stifled a grin; he'd noticed how tightly Rei had been holding herself as he and Tia talked. He'd liked her from the moment he'd met her and had been trying for months, it seemed, to get her to notice him. Then Tia came along and whammo! She'd gotten jealous. It showed she had some feelings for him. He had to stifle the urge to get up on the table and do a little dance.  
Yaten, meanwhile, struggled against the need to leap over the table and beat Yuichiro to a bloody pulp. He'd never felt jealousy before and it was hard keeping it in check. He had to content himself with casting ferocious glares at the young man. How dare that neolithic barbarian show such interest in his woman?  
His woman? The thought caught him up short and he stared at Tia in a stunned fashion. But he couldn't deny he now thought of her as his. It was a primal sort of feeling, which was why he was having such trouble controlling himself.   
He leaned in close to her, whispering, "Could I speak with you in private, please?"  
She glanced up in surprise and nodded. They excused themselves, moving to the hallway near the restrooms, affording them some semblance of privacy. She turned to him, saying, "There, now we have some privacy. What did y---," she broke off with a muffled yelp of surprise when he yanked her into the men's room and pulled her into one of the stalls. She demanded, in a whisper, as he locked the stall door, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
"What the hell do you think?" He demanded back, yanking her to him, crushing her mouth under his.  
Well, this is a surprise, she thought hazily, as his lips moved over hers. Better than that, this is HEAVEN.  
Desire rushed through both of them and the need to get even closer had them pressing themselves even tighter against each other. Tia parted her lips, under Yaten's urging and his tongue slipped past her teeth to twine with her own. Heat exploded between them and they moaned and clutched each other even more tightly.   
They'd forgotten where they were, of course. That is until someone came into the bathroom. The bathroom door opening brought them back to their senses as quickly and shockingly as having a bucket of ice water dumped on top of them would have. They froze, as the person who'd come in went about his business. Tia was never so glad as when she realized the walls on the stall they were in went all the way to the floor, rather than just being partitions. She didn't know how they'd explain two sets of feet. A toilet flushed, water ran down a drain and a paper towel crumpled. Both of them relaxed as the sound of a closing door came to them.  
Tia became aware, then, exactly where his hand was and where hers was. Now that passion had been supplanted by reason, she blushed three shades of scarlet, easing her had away from him. Clearing her throat, she glanced pointedly downwards, saying, "You know, as much as I enjoy that, now isn't the time--?"  
It took a moment for her meaning to sink in, and when it did, he snatched his hand away, blushing just as furiously as she had. She grinned at his discomfiture, leaning against the stall, folding her arms, "So is that the reason you dragged me in here?"  
"Ah...," he looked a little embarrassed, scratching at the back of his head. "No. That was a spur of the moment thing. Maybe it was the way that Yuichiro was slobbering all over you...."  
"He wasn't slobbering over me," she grinned even wider. "He's interested in Rei- chan. He looks at her in such a way...."  
"You mean--?" Now he looked nonplused.   
She smiled slightly. "Not that I minded, of course, but you could've chosen a more romantic place to try this."  
They made it out of the men's room without anyone else the wiser. Yaten acted as point man, making sure the way was clear before motioning her forward. As they reached the open restaurant area a harsh beeping startled both of them. Tia reached round back to her waistband, coming up with a small, blue pager. Pressing the retrieve, she stared at the number a moment and a strange shuttering expression closed over her face. He raised a questioning brow at her but she smiled thinly and shook her head.   
"Look, I gotta go," Tia said when they'd reached the table. "Sorry, but something just came up. A call came through that I've been waiting on. I have to call this guy back right away. Usagi-chan, you can find another way home right?"  
She picked up the photo album and retrieved her brother's CD and shoved them into her backpack, zipped it shut and slung it over her shoulder, "Sorry again about cutting this short. I'll see you tomorrow. I've got to get kicking. Bye!"   
She was out the door, before anyone could tell her she'd eft one of her CDs behind. Yaten picked it up, "I'll get it to her tomorrow."   
"Hey, I thought you didn't like her!" Seyla gave him a supercilious smile.  
"Never said that," Yaten gave the other a hard look. "Just didn't have much to say about her."  
"Then why did you--?" He pointed to the hallway they'd disappeared into.  
"I didn't have much to say about her. Another thing altogether than having to say anything to her," Yaten congratulated himself on telling the truth, if not the whole truth.  
  
Tia picked up the phone on her desk and dialed an out-of-country number. She waited a moment then the line began ringing. She let it ring twice, hung up, then dialed the number again, let it ring twice, hung up again then dialed the number again. This time she let it go; it was picked up on the third ring.  
"Yeah?" a brisk voice, not at all friendly, answered.   
"Ronnie. It's me. What've you got?" She answered, briskly; pleasantries were wasted on Ronnie.  
"Tia? Dammit, girl, I paged you an hour ago."  
"I wasn't at home. Did you want me to call you on my cell phone?"  
"Hell no. You know how I feel about those things."  
"Yeah. So don't complain when I have to find a land line," she grinned at the horror she'd heard in his voice. "Besides, you probably wanted me near my PC anyway."  
"Yeah. You up?"  
"Just coming up," she typed her password and turned on her modem. "There, I'm online."  
"I must say, you set me a tough task," now Ronnie's voice was almost friendly. But then when he was talking about the one thing nearest and dearest to his heart, he could almost sound lover-like. "I've never broken into anything in Japan before. Though why you wanted me to hack into every bank and the utilities company in Tokyo is beyond me."  
"Did you get what I needed?"  
"Yeah, I'm downloading it into your system now. What're you up to?"  
"I got a hunch. Want to find out as much about the situation as I can before I jump in."  
"Glad I'm not there. Your hunches are dangerous."  
"Oh, poor baby. Don't tell me you're still holding a grudge about the last time are you?"  
"Not a grudge. But you almost got me busted by the FBI the last time, hacking into their database. Dammit, why didn't you tell me that Nancy was in the Computer Crimes Division?" Nancy was one of Tia's foster sisters.   
"At the time, I didn't know she'd been moved to that division," her computer played Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. "Okay, I've got it. I'm going to need the password."  
"Your measurements."  
"God, you're such a pervert."  
"Well, can I help it? You've got a great bod."  
"Okay, I'm up. Thanks for the help."  
"No prob. Gimme a call later, tell me how it went on."  
"Oh, by the way, Ronnie?"  
"Yeah."   
"Please tell me you didn't leave any 'flags' in their systems."  
"I didn't leave any 'flags.'"  
"How come I don't believe you?"  
"Cause you'd be right," Ronnie laughed and hung up before she could scold him.  
"Jeez, boy," She muttered fiercely under her breath. "No wonder Nancy nearly caught you."  
She read the files thoroughly making comparisons and what she found disturbed her. The Nakamura's energy bills, to their store, had gone way up. Nearly double the normal use from the previous years. Just within the last three months.   
The bank statements, their personal ones, were more disturbing. The business bills were the same as they'd been previously. With larger expenses when they made special purchases. But the personal bank accounts had undergone major changes. Deposits made in them recently were almost staggering. Hundreds of thousands of yen each week. Nearly three-quarters of a million yen in the last three to four weeks alone. And nearly four million in the last three months.  
It was up to her to find out if they were a willing part of this or not and why. This definitely called for a personal visit. Maybe she could find out something. Tomorrow was going to be very interesting.  
  
  
PART FOUR  
  
Yaten saw Tia's CD lying on top of his stereo, when he got home from school. He would've listened to it the night before, since he'd been intensely curious about it, but he'd been late for rehearsals and rushed back out the door after dumping his school things and changing into casual clothes.  
Now he placed the gold disc into his CD-player and hit play. Soft guitar sounds filled the air. Then a voice, her voice, blotted everything else out for him. She was expertly trained, anyone listening casually to it could tell she'd been trained to use her voice for years. She had complete control over her voice and her pitch was perfect. There wasn't an off note. But it wasn't her control that shook him. No, it wasn't that at all.  
Her voice, though, rose over the music, pure and true. The sound of it, seized you by the throat and didn't let go. It was the kind of voice that inspired composers to write songs. That could with the tiniest inflection bring you to laughter or tears. The kind of voice you could lose yourself in forever.  
Stunned at the power of her voice, he sat down hard, his chest tight with a feeling he wasn't ready to name.  
  
  
"Okay, showtime," Tia looked at the front doors of Nakamura's store, assuming a pleasant, expectant look. She pushed open the doors, searching the store as if expecting something new.  
"Ah, Tia-chan," the voice came from behind her and she turned to Mr. Nakamura. "What can we do for you today?"  
"Oh, well, I thought I saw a delivery being made a couple of days ago," she gave him a bright smile. "I thought I'd come and check out what came in. But I don't see anything new."  
His eyes flickered, a slight shifting to the side, then was gone. His mein was just as cheerful as before, "No. We haven't finished inventorying it yet," he pointed over her shoulder and she saw the docking port open and a delivery being made. "When we finish, we'll stock the shelves."  
"Oh," she contrived to sound disappointed, then brightened. "Well, in that case, let me get a case of that wickedly decadent chocolate you import," she stopped, genuine worry on her face now. "You're not out of that are you?"  
Mr. Nakamura laughed, shaking his head, "Oh, no. I've got plenty."  
  
Strapping the package to her bike, she mused over the look which had crossed Mr. Nakamura's face. An ordinary customer wouldn't have even noticed it, but she'd been looking for it. He knew what was going on. That knowing look had contained something else. Fear. So, he might be a participant, but maybe not a willing one.  
She needed to snoop some more. She'd call Ronnie, have him hack around Tokyo's computer systems, looking for signs. She'd study the Nakamura's bank statements again; she might see something she missed the first time. And tonight, she was going "fishing."  
  
In the shadows of an alley, a man watched Tia, a stony expression on his face. His eyes narrowed, there was something not quite right about her. The owner had accepted her explanation. But it seemed more like she was snooping.  
First thing was find out who she was. The owners of this place seemed to know her. Second, he'd find where she lived. That wouldn't be too hard, there weren't that many gai-jin living in Tokyo. He'd watch her, follow her patterns, and if she was only a customer then he wouldn't worry over her. If not, well, he'd do something about her.  
At that happy thought, a very nasty smile appeared on his face.  
  
In the deeper shadow cast by a garbage receptacle, a living shadow crouched golden eyes gleaming. When the man left, Luna rose to her feet and padded out of the alley. A slight frown narrowed her eyes. What was that girl up to? And what had it to do with the man who had stood watching the girl?  
  
"Yeah?" Tia picked up her phone.  
"You rang?" Ronnie didn't do Lurch imitations very well, but he tried.  
"Jeez, what took you so long?"  
"You don't want to know."  
"You're right, I probably don't."  
"Oh, really funny. What do you need?"  
"I need you to find out if Hideo or Yuki Nakamura have been having any spending sprees."  
"You don't ask for much, do you?" Ronnie sounded disgusted. "That could take days."  
Tia was noting figures on the bank statements she'd been reviewing when he called, "I've got to do some digging here. That'll take a few days. That'll give you some time to snoop. Don't leave any tracks this time, I gotta feeling about this and I don't want anyone gunning for you."  
She heard a particularly virulent curse on the other end, "What the hell are you doing there?"  
"Don't know yet. Something big, I think. I dunno, call it a hunch," she paused, thoughtfully. "Just nose around some of the more exclusive stores' mainframes or credit cards, car dealerships, that kind of stuff."  
"Got it."  
"Oh, yeah and one more thing. See if you can't track down any purchases of a new Bentley in the last couple of years. In the Tokyo area, in the last six years or so. And see if you can't connect them with people who are known criminals or are criminal suspects or have ties in the criminal world."  
The next string of curses blistered her ear, "You don't know what kind of trouble, but you get me a list of 'to do's' like that? Just be very, very careful, you understand?"  
Touched by the concern in his normally sarcastic voice, "I will. I didn't know you cared."  
"I care, girl, I care. You didn't give up on me when everyone else had," his voice was gruff. "I'm warning you, if I find something I don't like, I'm gonna tell your Grandfather, or your sister or that brother-in-law you're living with, you understand?"  
"Yeah, I understand. Look, I gotta head out. Call me when you find something."  
"I will. Watch your back."  
"I will. And Ronnie?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thanks."  
  
Four hours later, Tia conceded defeat. She'd sat outside the Nakamura's residence and the family hadn't stirred from home. There'd been visitors, mostly teenagers, one or two older folks she'd recognized as regular customers and friends of the family. No suspicious visitors.  
She thought they were probably unwilling participants in the situation. There had been large deposits going into their bank accounts, but they weren't spending any of the money. She recognized profits made by the store; they'd been deposited by transferring funds from their business account. All the others had to be money paid to silence them. None of those amounts had been spent. All debits and withdrawals had stopped short of spending any of the additional deposits. In light of the fear she'd seen in Mr. Nakamura's eyes this afternoon, she guessed it was a deliberately defiant gesture. A small defiance, certainly, but a defiance nonetheless.  
Sitting in the dark doing nothing but staring at the house, she'd caught herself nodding off twice in the last hour. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she'd skipped dinner. She'd wait until the house was dark before leaving for the night.  
Three hours later, the last light was extinguished. Fifteen minutes later, when there was no further activity going on in the house, she started up her bike and left for home. Five minutes later a small cat-shadow detached itself from a larger tree-shadow and disappeared silently into the night.  
  
"Got you," the man stared at the name and address on the slip of paper he held in his hand.  
He'd extracted the name from the store owner that afternoon. The old man hadn't known where she lived but that didn't concern him. He could easily find out. He had a contact search for her address, coming up with license and registration for her motorcycle. He had her address, and vital statistics.  
"Well, Ms. MacKenzie," he murmured quietly to himself, smiling into the shadows that cloaked the room around him like a shroud, "we'll just see what you're up to."  
  
"Luna, you're late," Artemis chided his partner, as the black cat padded silently into the control room. "What have you been up to?"  
"Tia Mackenzie. I've been following her. She's been acting rather suspiciously. Last night I followed her to someone's home and she sat and watched the house for hours on end before she left," Luna sat down, and frowned. "Do you think you can dig up some background information on her?"  
"Sure, I can do a general computer search on her tonight, give you the results tomorrow. Anything else, will take a little longer," Artemis was frowning now too, already plotting out how he was going to do his research. "Is it urgent?"  
"No, not right now," Luna gave Artemis an arch look that sent the white cat's heart racing, "but be sure that I'll let you know when it does become urgent."   
  
Tia fought a losing battle against sleep in class the next day. When she'd gotten home the night before, she'd done some homework she'd forgotten about and didn't get to sleep until 3 A.M. When her alarm clock had gone off two hours later, she'd been tempted to go back to sleep. But her sister would've killed her. So she got up, stumbled to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee, double strength. She gulped down three cups of coffee, wrinkling her nose at its strength.  
It hadn't helped, and Tia waged the battle of the nod all day, relieved when last period became study hall. She put her head down and promptly fell asleep. This was looked on with amusement by Usagi and her gang.  
"Now, what could she have been doing that had her up most of the night?" Usagi slid a glance at Yaten. He caught the question and gave her a I-wouldn't-know glare. Usagi giggled, "Well, I guess that answers that." She and the others huddled, murmuring and giggling and casting knowing looks Yaten's way.  
Tia was so deeply asleep that she didn't even hear the last bell when it rang. Yaten waited till the other students cleared out of the class room before poking Tia in the back. She woke with a startled jerk so violent she was a good two feet from him before her desk stopped its skid.  
"I hope you're happy," Yaten said sarcastically, folding his arms across his chest. "Because of you, there are now going to be rumors flying all over the school about us."  
"What?" She blinked at him again, quite uncomprehending of his sarcasm. "What rumors?"  
"The ones I'm sure Usagi-chan and her gang are speculating about right now."  
Tia clenched her teeth, exasperated, and half stood over her desk and stabbed a finger at him, snarling, "Look, you, I was up till 3 AM doing homework. I had maybe two hours of sleep last night and that makes me really cranky. Since I don't know what the hell you're talking out, I would appreciate it if you would make things clear for me before I rip your head off."  
Completely taken aback at her tone, he held his hands up, "Hey, look, I'm sorry about that, but Usagi-chan was messing with me earlier about you falling asleep."  
"Why would she do that?"  
"Maybe she was implying something?"  
"What the hell would she..." at this point her sleepy mind caught up with her. "Oh. Oh, I see. So what's the problem?"  
He colored up slightly, "Look, if I haven't been doing anything, I don't want to be accused of doing something I haven't been doing."  
It took her a moment to digest and translate what he'd just said, "Oh. Well, okay," she scratched her head, frowning in concentration. "I think the girls are over at the Crown today. Maybe I'll head on over there and drop some clues."  
"You do that," he looked up at the clock. "I've got rehearsals, so I'll see you later."  
She nodded, gathering her books. His voice made her look up, "Tia-kun?"  
"Yes?"  
"Get some sleep."  
She gave him a tired smile, "I will, thanks."  
  
"Hey, Usagi-chan," Tia smiled wearily at the girls. "Scoot over, dear, and give me some room." She smiled at the red-headed waitress, "Espresso coffee, please. I need the caffeine."  
"Must've been an interesting night," Usagi gave her a sly smile.  
"No, not really," Tia glanced at the other girl under her lashes. "It was all right in bits and pieces but it really wasn't something I want to repeat."  
Makoto, taking a sip of her soda, choked. Tia bit back a wicked grin. Usagi was astonished. Ami was blushing furiously as were Minako and Rei.   
"No. It was a big yawner," she grinned, wickedly. "Finishing up forgotten homework is such a bore."  
This time it was Usagi who choked on her soda. Rei glared at her suspiciously. Ami, Makoto and Minako slapped their hands to their foreheads in exasperation, while Tia, amused, pounded Usagi on the back until the other girl waved away her "help".  
Tia gave Usagi an astonished look, "You didn't think I meant something else did you? Now, now, Usagi-chan, if I'd done that all night long, I wouldn't have even bothered to come to school this morning."  
At this the others burst out laughing.  
  
A man standing at the window of the restaurant, staring in at the girls. He was taking deep drags from a cigarette in his left hand. Flicking the ashes away, his gaze narrowed on the auburn-haired, Caucasian sitting with the other girls.  
"So a little school girl are we?" he murmured sardonically, taking another pull at the cigarette. Finished with the cigarette, he dropped it on the pavement, grinding it out with a toe. "Well, better watch your step, little school girl, or you'll be deader than a doorknob."  
He continued watching until the girl headed for the door. He hid, peering around the corner until the girl headed the other way. He hurried after her to the parking lot. As Tia got on a motorcycle, he slid into a car parked nearby. He pulled out of the parking lot just seconds after her. He trailed her to her sister's house, and smiled nastily, "Well, well, little miss. I know where you live. You need to watch your back better," he pulled slowly away from the walled house, watching Tia in his rear-view mirror until he was beeped from behind by an impatient motor scooter deliveryman.   
  
Tia decided to walk this time. Maybe she'd catch a little more action at the store than at the Nakamura's home. The almost-full moon would cause her some problems if she had to hide, but nothing she couldn't handle. She hurried down the street as quickly as possible, glancing this way and that, and behind her, making sure she wasn't being followed. The only sign of life she  
spotted following her as a small black cat.  
  
Usagi, having seen the man following her friend and gotten bad vibes, decided a little judicious snooping might be a good idea. As she'd gotten to Tia's house, she spotted Luna running full-tilt down the street towards her, "Usagi! Tia's doing something suspicious. I've got a bad feeling about what's going to happen. She might be one of the enemy! Come on!" Luna  
spun on her hind feet and started back the way she came.  
"Where's Tia?" Usagi was running now, long legs easily keeping pace with her mentor.  
"Last I saw of her, she was conducting surveillance on a small store in the shopping district. Hurry!"  
They skidded around the corner into the shopping district. Halfway down the block, Usagi spotted the other girl flitting from shadow to shadow. Keeping to the shadows, Usagi trailed her. Tia stopped in front of one, which had lights on in several of the upper story windows. She slipped around the side of the building. Usagi kept to the shadows behind her, watching as the other girl climbed up a large dumpster and, quietly, pulled down the fire escape ladder. She climbed cat-foot up the ladder, so quietly Usagi was amazed. She reached the top then disappeared onto the roof. Usagi knew better than to follow her, knowing that she'd make too much noise. Luna indicated that she would follow the girl up top. She jumped silently up the fire escape after Tia. There was nothing for Usagi to but wait and find out what was going on from Luna. So she waited, more patiently than her friends would've given her credit for.  
Tia, meanwhile, moved to the skylight over the storeroom. She wiped at the glass, which was nearly opaque with dirt, hoping it wouldn't squeak. When she'd cleared the glass enough, she peered down into the room. Most of the men in the room were hard-faced. They moved with studied efficiency, unpacking the crates surrounding them. The shrill whine of a table saw could  
be heard, and a great deal of loud thumping and metallic clangs reverberated through the room below. Others noted things on clipboards and some examined the crates' contents for defects.  
Tia couldn't help but gasp when she saw their contents clearly for the first time. She swallowed, fear shooting through her, adrenaline pumping in her veins. The "merchandise" these guys were handling were weapons. Fully-automatic machine guns from the looks of them. American made or old Soviet made. She notices that there were several cases with loose parts  
packed in them; gun and rifle barrels, stocks, bullet chambers for revolvers, those kind of things. They were building these things as well as moving fully assembled weapons. These guys were gun runners. And very well-organized from the looks of them.  
Hastily, she backed from the skylight and went over the edge of the roof, down the fire escape. A movement in the shadows caught her eye and she froze. The person in the shadows moved forward just a little into the moonlight and she recognized who it was. Cursing silently, mindful of the situation, she hurried down the fire escape. She didn't even bother using the  
dumpster when she leapt from the bottom of the fire escape ladder.  
She landed quietly on the balls of her feet and rushed Usagi. She grabbed the startled girl's arm and whispering vitriolically, "What the hell are you doing here?"  
"Following you," Usagi whispered back. "I saw somebody following you and got bad vibes, okay? I wanted to make sure you were all right."   
"Someone was following me?" Tia's eyes narrowed. "When?"  
"This afternoon, after school. What are you doing? What're you involved in?"  
"The less you know the safer you'll be. Don't ask any more questions. We've got to get out of here before someone spots us. I only hope that guy you saw earlier hasn't followed me."  
Tia peered, cautiously around the corner at the store front. She turned back to Usagi, "Okay, the coast is clear. I want you to get the hell out of here, as quickly as you can. Stick to the shadows. Double back on yourself a couple of times to make sure you're not being followed."  
"Who's there?" A male voice from close by made them jump. "Show yourself."  
"Damn. You stay here, I'll draw him away. Get him to turn away from here. When his back is turned, you beat feet, quietly as you can. Stay in the shadows, got it?"   
Usagi nodded, her eyes wider than saucers.  
Tia grinned tightly, then let out a string of curses hot enough to curl wallpaper from walls. Producing a heel from her pocket and affecting a hobble, she moved from the alley. Usagi peered around the corner as Tia hobbled towards the man who had called out.  
"Damned high heels," Tia began cheerfully, and Usagi frowned at the way the other girl had changed how she spoke, making it difficult to understand.  
"What were you doing there?" The man demanded roughly, seizing her arm. "Who are you?"  
"Now, now, don't get your panties in a bind," Tia had affected a cockney accent, which helped her butcher her Japanese. "Just a little accident here," she showed him the heel. "One of them came off and I was just taking care of it. As to who I am, that's none of your business."  
The man's eyes narrowed, "I don't believe you. What were you really doing over there?"  
"Just what I told you," Tia's voice became hard. "Fixing my shoes."  
"Don't lie to me," he grabbed her other arm and shaking her. "You'd better tell the truth or it won't go easy on you."  
"'Ey," Tia still in her British role, squirmed, and broke into English. "You'd best be lettin' me go, you blooming nit. You've no call to be grabbing me like this."  
Usagi decided to help Tia, rather than making her get away. She called the other Sailor Soldiers, for back up, then transformed into Sailor Moon, "MOON ETERNAL MAKE-UP."  
  
Once transformed, she tore around the corner of the building, pulling one of the spikes from her hair and tossed it at the man still holding Tia captive. Her aim was good, the spike found his wrist and he shouted in surprise and pain, letting go of the girl to clutch at his injured hand. Tia, meanwhile, staggered as he let go and, losing her balance, fell flat on her fanny.  
"What the-?" he pulled the spike from his wrist, the twisted about, trying to find who'd thrown it. "Who threw this?"  
"I did," Sailor Moon had leapt atop a car parked nearby. "I won't allow you to harm that girl!"  
"What?" The man stepped back, a mix of surprise and fear flitting across his face. "Oh, no."  
Tia, who'd never even heard of Sailor Moon before, stared at the girl standing on top of the car with an astonished look, "Now, who do you suppose...."  
"Oh, yes. How dare you treat a girl like that? What kind of man are you? I, the Agent of Love and Justice, Pretty Sailor Soldier, Sailor Moon. On behalf of the Moon, I shall punish you."  
By this time, the man had recovered his wits enough to snatch a .45-caliber gun in the shoulder holster under his jacket and point it at the Sailor Moon. Tia cursed, jumped to her feet and delivered a round-house kick to his mid-section. Surprised, his arm came up and he squeezed the trigger, a muffled thwipping sounded and Tia heard the bullet ricochet off one of the buildings.  
Rather than fighting the man, she sprinted for Sailor Moon, leapt from the ground to the car's hood then to the roof of the car, grabbed Sailor Moon around the waist and pulled her off the car, just as another bullet ripped through the space they'd been a moment before. A string of virulent curses filled the air.  
"Thanks for trying to help," Tia looked at her be winged would-be savior. "But, we gotta get out of here."  
Sailor Moon nodded, watching as Tia peered through the side windows of the car. Tia couldn't see where he was. Then she heard him yelp in surprise and pain. She dropped to all fours, peering under the car. He was crouched on the other side of the car, struggling to detach the sharp teeth of a small black cat from one of his ankles.  
Seizing the perfect opportunity to get away, Tia sat up and crouch-crawled towards the front of the car, motioning Sailor Moon to follow. Sailor Moon nodded, falling in behind her. She slipped around the front of the car, heading for the nearest car as quickly as she could while crouched over. They made it without being detected. A second later, they heard a soft thud  
then the distinct sound of a cat's hiss.  
"You need to get out of here," she whispered to Sailor Moon. "No sense in you getting hurt."  
"No way," the other whispered back furiously. "I'm not leaving you here by yourself. Besides, all we have to do is wait him out so the others can get here."  
"Others? What others?"  
"The other Sailor Soldiers. I called them for back-up before trying to help you."  
"Well, thank goodness for small favors. Now all we have to do is....!" she cursed unexpectedly as the man loomed over them, gun leveled at them in a rock-steady grip.  
"Now, the game is up and I win," a cruel smile curved his lips, turning a handsome face into something akin to a monster's.   
"SPARKLING VITAL PRESSURE."  
Tia gasped as a ball of what appeared to be lightning struck the man full force. He jerked twice, a weird kind of croak emerging from his mouth. Then he dropped at their feet. She whirled, still crouching, in time to see four uniformed young women emerge from the shadows.  
All were dressed in the same type of uniform; Tia was irrationally reminded of her school uniform. Each wore a different color. The one still crackling with electric energy wore dark, forest green. One wore red. Another, blue. And still another, gold. All wore the same determined look.  
"Boy, am I glad to see you," Sailor Moon collapsed against the car they'd been hiding behind.  
Tia grinned, for a moment there, Sailor Moon sounded almost exactly like Usagi, "I appreciate the help. Ya know, if you're gonna deal with crooks, posturing'll get ya killed. Something tells me you don't normally deal with average creeps, do you?"  
"No, not really," the scout in gold admitted. "We don't know what to do with this guy now. Usually when we hit something, it stays dead."  
"Well, I know how to deal with it," Tia was grim, but resolute. "All we have to do is get him to his place as quickly as possible," she glanced up at the lights in the store. "At least get him out of here before anyone else comes outside. And we definitely need to get him away from here without drawing any undue attention to ourselves."  
They managed to do just that. The man had his wallet with his address in it; Tia thought he wasn't your normal crook to go around carrying identification on him. told her he'd done this kind of thing before and had never been caught.  
He had a nice place, she noted, looking about the condo in admiration. Atrocious taste, however, in home decor; she found herself wincing at animal print pillows on his couches and chairs, neon colored feathers in some sort of purple vase and, of all things, a blue lava lamp.  
Yuck.  
"Thanks for your help, girls," she turned to the Sailor Soldiers. "But you need to go now. There are certain things that I need to arrange and the less you know about them, the better."  
"What about you?" The one in red, who, Tia had learned, was Sailor Mars.  
"This won't work if I don't stay behind and explain certain facts to our wonderful host," Tia smiled, a grim, determined smile. "Now go on. I have a black-belt in jujitsu; I know how to handle myself. The quicker I do this, the less danger I'm in."  
The others left, though clearly reluctantly. When they'd gone, Tia searched the premises. She turned up a pair of handcuffs, thick cord and a large handkerchief which would make splendid gag. She found the cord and handcuffs in a drawer full of other items, some of which she didn't recognize and others were recognizable enough to make her blush. Her host had some  
rather naughty tastes.  
She bound the man to a chair in the dining room, where she could keep an eye on him. She gagged him, securing the gag tightly just as he came around. She stepped back and around him, so he could see her. His eyes, dazed at first, became clear the moment he recognized her.  
"Oh, good," Tia's voice took on her Cockney accent, "you're up. Now listen 'ere, boy, I'm gonna make some calls and don't you make any trouble for me."  
She went to the phone and dialed a number, spoke briefly with an overseas operator, and asked for another number. It rang once, picked up, there was a moment of silence, a garbled computer sound and then it began ringing again. It went through the same procedure twice more before someone picked up on the other end.  
"Yeah?"  
"It's me again," Tia didn't dare drop her accent and hoped Ronnie would know it was her.  
"Who?" Ronnie didn't apparently. "Lady, I don't know you from Jack. How'd you get this number?"  
"You gave it to me, luv," Tia cooed into the phone. "You know, that day on the beach."  
"Tia? That you?" Ronnie's voice was tentative now.  
"Too right, luv."  
"I take it there's someone there?"  
"Yeah," she paused as if listening to an answer. "Did you find anythin'?"  
"Not on the cars. But the Nakamura's haven't been making any luxury purchases. In fact, when I compared their financial records, they haven't increased any of their monthly purchases. The only thing that's changed is their deposit sizes and their utilities records."  
"Just as I thought. 'Ow 'bout that other thing?"   
"There have been six purchases in the last several years. Those cars are expensive to import. Haven't got any names yet. It's just a matter of hours."  
"Well, you need to 'old up on that for a little bit. You up for a little computer mayhem?"  
"You best believe I am."  
"I need you to make a crook look like a turncoat."  
"Ooo. Sounds like fun."  
"Mess with his bank deposits, make him look like 'e's been takin' 'uge payoffs in the last few months. You know that little organization I 'ad you make up two years ago?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, they're into gun runnin' now. Big time. Leave a paper trail for the others to follow. Phone records, too. And book a flight, usin' this number as call source, from Japan to Canada. Charge it to this credit card number." She read off the name, number and expiration date.  
"Good way to ruin a man's life."  
"Well, 'e nearly killed a friend of mine tonight, so I'm lettin' 'im off easy."  
"A friend? Or you?"  
"Both, actually. But I got things under control now so don't you dare tell my family, got it?"  
"I gotcha."  
"Call me at this number when you got everythin' set up."  
  
Two hours later, she had everything done to incriminate the fidgeting man. She made notes and letters so his erstwhile companions could find and read them. She had made up phony bank records in his computer, and using the hacking skills Ronnie taught her, falsified the system dates to make it seem as if the entries were input at various different times. She packed his bags, and discovered a small fortune that she put in his wallet. Then she sat back to wait. Fifteen minutes later, the phone rang twice, fell silent then rang twice before she picked up, "Talk to me."  
"It's done."  
"Good job and thanks. I'll call again later tonight, er, today, whenever."  
"I'll be waiting."  
She smiled rather nastily, as she hung up the phone, at the thug seated not far from her, "Well mate, here's the sitch. You messed up a major deal for me tonight. Nearly two hundred million yen down the tubes for me," she removed his gag as he glared up at her.  
"Why should I care?"  
"You shouldn't, tweren't none of your business in the first place. But you messed up the deal right well. You and that costumed freak. But I'm a nice gal, so I'm not going to kill you. Bad for business, you know. Word would get out."  
"What are you planning to do with me?"  
"You're going to leave the country, lad."  
"And if I don't?" he wasn't intimidated by her or at least making an effort not to show it.  
"Then you're as good as dead," she told him flatly. "And by your own mates at that. Me and my pals have made some right incriminating evidence against you for your pals to find. Even if you got rid of the physical evidence here, your bank records will show a different story. I 'ad my pal leave a mysterious tip for your friends to check on. They already think you've sold  
out to another organization. Your life here is already over," she gave him a truly scarey smile. "Welcome to the wonderful age of technology."  
The thug already had a panicked look on his face, "They'll kill me!"  
"Oh, I'll let you go. I've booked a flight for you on New Japan International Airlines to Canada. Canada's a good place to live. Nice and big. Don't think they'll follow you there."  
"Why?"  
"Like I said, I'm a nice enough gal. I'll see you to the airport and see you on board."  
  
"He's away," Tia spoke into the phone at the airport.  
"So what now?"  
"You still got access to all that stuff you used to alter his files?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, I think that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police should know about this suspected international gun smuggler who just might be moving to Canada."  
"You're evil."  
"So is he. Just give them an anonymous tip. And hope that he doesn't disembark at Fiji."  
"Always a danger."  
"Thanks for the help."  
"No problemo. I'll keep looking for those records on the cars. It'll be a couple of hours."  
"Don't call til after noon, Japan time. Tomorrow's Sunday, I can sleep in as long as I want."  
"Gotcha."  
  
The shrill ringing of the phone woke her two hours later. She groaned, rolled over, squinting at the clock. She grabbed the receiver and snarled into it, "This had better be good, dammit."  
"Tsk, tsk, little sister," a mellifluous voice said in her ear. "Watch the language when you're talking to me."  
"Big bro," Tia growled at her brother, Brian, "it's four in the morning here, Sunday morning, the only day I don't have school, and I didn't get to bed until two hours ago. You'd be just as grumpy if this were you and you know it. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"  
Brian laughed, delightedly, "Well, little sister, I'm going to be there in a few hours. The club is in the completion stage. All the equipment should be installed by next week and the club will be open the week after. I'm coming over for the grand opening and throw a huge party."  
"Oh," Tia said, nonplused. "Where will you be staying?"  
"Oh, a hotel. I'm bringing Whiplash and the crew. Are you going to meet the plane?"  
"What time are you going to be here?"  
"Arrival time is 10:00 AM, your time."  
"Oh, well, yeah, I'll meet you. That's six hours from now, so I'll have time for more sleep. See you then."  
Brian laughed again, "See you."  
Tia replaced the receiver and stared up at the ceiling, blankly for a moment. Then she groaned, her brother was going to be in Japan for a few weeks. The man who was better than the best CIA interrogator at getting information out of her, was going to be in town for a few weeks.  
Great, just great.  
  
  
  
PART FIVE  
  
Tia waited for the passengers on her brother's flight to disembark. She leaned her forehead, tiredly, on her brother-in-law's shoulder, since it was a handy place to lean on. Takumi glanced over his shoulder at her, a fond smile lighting his beautiful face. A slight tensing of his shoulder muscles made her look up. Her brother, Brian, and her niece, Q, were walking toward  
them. Tia stepped from behind Takumi, raising an arm in greeting.  
When Q saw Tia, she let out a whoop, tossed her carry-on to her father and raced toward Tia. Tia laughed and gave her a rib-cracking hug, then released her to Nikki, who hugged her, then introduced Q to her new uncle. While Q was a normally outgoing person who had no problem relating to strangers, this was different. These people were her new family, and it was  
important for them to accept her. Knowing this made her unaccountably shy. But her new uncle was having none of that. Takumi pulled her into a tentative embrace which had the girl hugging him fiercely. Tia turned to greet Brian, grinning past the lump in her throat.  
Brian hugged her tightly, "God, it's good seeing you. I've missed you rattling about the house."  
"Well, if you think I miss you ragging on me, you've got another think coming," her misty smile belied her words. It was good having more of her family around.  
"Hey, Tia!" A new voice intruded on the reunion. Tia grinned, recognizing the members of the band and the road crew. She exchanged greetings with each. Brian was constantly amazed that his sister was friends with most of his road crew. Especially since she wasn't a member of the crew or the band, although she was under foot on tour and at shows a lot.  
"All right, everyone," Nikki raised her voice to gain their attention. "Baggage claim is that way. And there are buses out front to take you to your hotel. Just tell the drivers which hotel and they'll get you there. And you," she pointed to her brother and Q, "are coming with us."  
"Oh, thanks," Michelle, one of the singers for the group, smiled happily at Nikki. "Now we don't have to try and hire a fleet of taxis."  
"Don't thank me," Nikki shook her head. "I didn't find out anything about this until this morning. Tia arranged for it all."  
"You should've seen how much it cost, too," Tia winced, imagining her next credit card bill.  
"Hey, I thought you didn't get to bed until late last night," Brian frowned down at her.   
"I didn't. But after you called, I only got two more hours of sleep and figured on doing some hustling before you got here," she shrugged, then went over to collect Brian's and Q's baggage. She spoke briefly with some of the road crew before coming back, "I'm starving, let's go home and eat."  
"Oh, yeah! Me too," Q grinned, taking her back from Tia.   
"Q," Brian scolded, exasperated. "You ate on the plane not an hour go!"  
"That was food?" Q rolled her eyes. "No, that was an appetizer. Anyway, you know it ain't a meal if it don't end in chocolate."   
"Well, she's gotcha there, bro," Tia grinned over her shoulder as her brother looked down at Q. "So how about I make my world famous chocolate chip pancakes when we get to the house?"  
"All right!!" Q actually jumped in her enthusiasm.  
"Chocolate chip pancakes?" Takumi murmured in a low aside to his wife. "Is that kind of bad taste legal?"  
"Not to a kid," Nikki took his arm, patting his hand indulgently. "And definitely not to a chocaholic like Q."  
They stowed gear and people indiscriminately in Nikki's minivan. As she buckled her seatbelt, Tia grinned as she imagined how it would have been had they brought Takumi's car. The car had a back seat, barely, and Q would've had a problem finding leg room in it, much less Brian with his six-four frame.  
"So what's been up with you guys lately?" Brian asked, a twinkle in his eye.  
'Well, now there's an open-ended question,' Tia thought wryly. Then she caught the amused gleam that entered Takumi's eye as he looked over his shoulder. 'Oh, no. He's not going to....'  
"Well, there have been some things coming down the scuttlebutt about your sister, lately," there was laughter in Takumi's voice and Tia groaned when she realized what he was up to.  
"Oh? And that would be?"  
"Well, it seems that our little sister has got herself a boyfriend," Takumi grinned mischievously over his shoulder.  
"I'll kill him,' Tia promised silently.  
"A boyfriend," Brian was frowning now, his fraternal instincts kicking in. "He'd better not be in show business."  
Brian had told her, when he realized that she was finally noticing boys, that he wouldn't let her date anyone in show business. Friendship or a business association was fine, but not dating or going steady. When she asked him his reasons, he'd gotten this odd, strained look then had asked her to remember whom she was speaking with and to leave it at that. And she'd  
understood. After all, Brian had been in the entertainment industry since he was in high school and she remembered certain stories she'd "overheard" her brother telling his friends about certain male-female interactions.  
"Well, as a matter of fact...," Nikki's eyes were twinkling now as she looked back at her sister. "He just happens to be in Japan's premier idol group, the Three Lights."  
'I'll make their children orphans,' Tia vowed, glaring at her sister, who stuck out her tongue.  
"Tia, I thought....," Brian started, scowling now but stopped when she held up her finger.  
"Before you go any further," she said forcefully, glaring at Takumi and Nikki, "let me make things perfectly clear. Yaten is my friend not my boyfriend."  
'Yet,' she added silently, catching the knowing look on her sister's face. She rolled her eyes and grinned, making sure Brian couldn't see it. Her brother could be such a prude.  
  
'He may be a prude, but he's one hell of a martial artist,' she conceded, as she lay panting on the floor of Takumi's dojo, later that day. 'Either that, or I'm getting soft.'  
"Oh, man," Brian rolled over, reaching for a towel. "I must be getting soft."  
"What makes you say that?" she sat up, reaching over and tweaking a towel into the range of his straining fingers. "The fact you can't even get up to reach that towel?"  
"Hey, I'm the one who taught you all those moves you were using today," he scrubbed the sweat from his face, still lying on his stomach. "So you'd better watch it, or I'll trounce you."  
"Promises, promises. You keep making those promises, but you never deliver," she heaved her way to her feet. "Come on, lover boy, we're not finished yet. That was just the warm-up."  
"The warm-up?" He groaned, laying his head on this forearms. "I must be getting old. Do me a favor? Go easy on me, will you? If you don't, I won't be able to perform at the opening."  
"Don't worry," Tia grinned. "I'll make sure the bruises won't show."  
"Thanks so much," his voice was a study in sarcasm.  
  
Later, Tia had just finished bathing when there came a booming knocking at the door. Securing the towel around her head, she rushed to the door and looked out the peephole. She groaned when she saw who was standing on the stoop.  
Yaten. With a furious expression on his face.  
She yanked open the front door then yanked him into the house. She stuck her head out, peering cautiously about, making sure there was no one lurking about. She closed the door, locking it behind her. It would give Yaten time to escape through a window if Brian took a maggot into his head about Yaten.  
"What the hell was that all about?" Yaten asked, as she leaned with her back against the door.  
"It's about my brother, Brian, that's what," Tia shook her head. "My brother is a little uptight. He might think you're my boyfriend. And that would be a problem for you."  
'Not to mention, it might become extremely painful for you too,' she almost winced at the image of her brother beating Yaten into a pulp.  
"Oh, great," Yaten rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "First Usagi, now your brother," then he stopped, the angry look returning to his face. "But that's not what I came here for."  
'Oh, boy, here it comes,' Tia braced herself for a lecture.  
"I heard from Usagi that you've gotten yourself involved in things that don't involve you," his voice was cold. "Just what did you think you were doing?"  
"I am involved, Yaten, whether or not I, or you for that matter, like it," her voice was tight. "Those people need my help. No one else has seen what's going on but me. So no one else is gonna help. I have to."  
"No you don't," Yaten said, his voice as tight as hers. "There are people whose jobs are to help people. Like the police. You should let them know what's going on and leave it to them."  
Something inside Tia snapped at those words and fury whipped her head up and had her shouting, "DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO LEAVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE, DAMN YOU! Don't you dare! I'm doing what I should've done two years ago! I lost the two most important people in my life because I was weak," her voice became raw, almost savage. "Never. Never will I allow what happened to me happen to anyone else, not if I can do anything about it."  
"Dear god," Yaten whispered, as he watched her face crack, the raw anguish written on her face nearly breaking his heart. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding on to her even though she fought him. He held on tightly, whispering comforting words until her struggling ceased and the tears began. Her body convulsed as she cried out her anguish and guilt. Cried like she couldn't two years before. Eventually, her sobs diminished, then stopped, but she stayed in his arms, her fingers clutching at the lapels of his suit.  
"My father was a law enforcement officer," she murmured into his chest. "Two years ago, he had been working on a case involving an organized crime ring. And he got too close for comfort. They decided they needed to do something about him. They tried intimidating my father into backing off his investigations. When that didn't work, they tried my mom. Of course, they hadn't counted her being a law enforcement officer, too. Neither of them would give. So they decided to try another tactic.   
"A friend and I were walking home from school, you know, totally oblivious to the rest of the world, when they came up on us. They got us. I mean, they were grown men, and there were five of them and we were just kids.  
"I tried to get us away, I really did," she gave a shuddering sob at this point. "They knew they weren't going to get me to do anything for them, if it was just me. But, Stacy wasn't like us, she didn't understand. And when I wouldn't give, they started hurting her. And they wouldn't stop until I'd agreed to do what they said," her fingers tightened convulsively on his lapels. "Oh, god, I'll never forget the sound of her screaming. It seemed to go on forever.  
"They let me go, but they kept Stacy. They knew I'd keep my mouth shut if they still had her. And they were right. They used me to get information about my parents habits. Stacy was their insurance to keep me in line. As long as they had her, they knew I'd cooperate.  
"I was too afraid, for myself and for Stacy, to think straight. Three weeks later, my parents were killed when a bomb planted in their car exploded," her breathing was ragged now, almost raw. "A bomb planted undetected because of information provided by me. Because of my fear, I didn't tell anyone about this, even though I should have. My only consolation is, Stacy was taken back alive and relatively unharmed," the tightness was back in her voice now. "But  
I'll never forget, that it was because of me. . . ."  
"No, it wasn't you," Yaten said fiercely, tilting her face up with a knuckle. "It wasn't your fault. You were only thirteen, Tia. It wasn't your fault. It was those monsters. The ones who killed your parents. No matter what anyone else says or believes. Do you hear me?"  
She gave him a sad, misty smile, raising her hand to brush his cheek with her fingers, "I wish I could believe that. I really do. But. . . ."  
"But nothing. It's not your fault, and I'll keep telling you that until you believe me."  
He captured her hand in his, pressing his lips to her palm in a tender gesture that took her breath from her.  
Their eyes met and held, both surprised by the sudden jolt of desire each felt. He lowered his head, his lips capturing hers, gently. Her lips parted as his lips slanted more firmly over hers, his questing tongue meeting hers.  
Her hands slid up his shoulders to tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck, then loosened the tie which held his long hair back. Released, it fell in a silvery curtain down his back and she reveled in running her fingers through the silky mass. His hand came up and pulled the towel from her head and the damp locks of her hair fell in dark tendrils.  
His mouth came down over hers again. His last rational thought he was to make sure Tia didn't get hurt as he lowered her to the floor. . .   
  
Yaten stared at the sleeping form of Tia with a languid kind of wonder. That she would have given him the gift of her first time awed him. But slowly, as he watched her, he came to realize that it had also been a mistake. And he cursed himself for being weak enough to take it.  
With the war with Galaxia and the search for their princess, it was a bad idea to get involved with anyone. His being of another planet was the least of it. He needed to break from her before they both got hurt.  
Slowly, he eased away from her, careful not to wake her. Quietly he got dressed, searched for some note paper and a pen and sat down and composed a short note to Tia. He left the note on the dining room table. He paused at the door to look back at her, lying in a pool of sunlight, the fiery tendrils of her hair creating a luminous glow about her, then silently left.  
  
Tia resisted the urge to rip the note in her hands to shreds, the paper crumpling in her hand with the effort.  
She'd never been more furious in her life. It was bad enough that she'd woken alone, but to be met with this note.   
  
Tia,  
Laying there beside you, I've come to realize that what we'd just done was a mistake. It's not that I wasn't pleased that you'd chosen me as your first and I'm truly honored, but there is no room in my life for a relationship. There are a lot of reasons why, and I'm not at liberty to reveal them but I just needed to tell you. I think it would be best if we avoided each other from here on out. I'm sorry.  
  
  
Yaten  
  
"You're sorry are you?" Tia snarled at the note. "Well, if you think that I'm going to take this from you, you're sadly mistaken."  
She set the note on the table, and stared down at it for a moment. Then the look on her face turned to shock, "Oh, glory. I forgot all about that," then a nasty little smile shaped her lips. "And I'll bet he hasn't even thought of it, either. Well, Mr. Kou, just because you left me this little note doesn't mean I'm going to do what you tell me to. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to be in your face until you give me a damned good reason for it."  
Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of her house and headed across the courtyard to the parking garage.   
In the main house, her family was gathered in the family room, the adults seated around a coffee table, quietly conversing, and the children gathered around the entertainment center, playing video games, Q having established her superiority early on.  
Takumi suddenly snapped his fingers, "You know, I almost forgot..."  
"What's that?" Brian looked at his brother-in-law, inquiringly.  
"Oh, my Chief's been hearing so much about Tia, that he asked if he could meet her," Takumi grinned as he confessed to bragging about his family. "I should go ask her now, while I'm thinking about it."  
Nikki, who'd been looking out patio doors, started abruptly then grabbed her husband's arm, "That would be a very bad idea right now."  
Takumi, frozen in a half-risen position, raised an eyebrow at her, Why?"  
Nikki pointed out the patio doors. Takumi, glancing out saw Tia and became even more puzzled. He sat down again and asked, "So why would it be a bad idea? How do you know?"  
Q, who'd just died in her game, leaned back, looked out the patio doors and gave a low whistle, "Oh, man. Who pissed her off?"  
"Pissed her off?" Takumi was totally lost now. "How can you tell she's pissed?"  
"It's the way she's dressed," Q stretched out her long legs. "If she's dressed like that you'd better get out of her way. It's sort of like battle armor."  
"Oh boy. Maybe we ought to stay away from her for the next couple of days."  
"That's a good idea."  
Takumi looked at Brian and asked in a fondly, exasperated voice, "Are the all women in your family totally wigged out, or is just these three?"  
"It's all of them," Brian grinned indulgently. "Don't worry though, you'll get used it. You're gonna have to with those two," he pointed at Takumi's daughters.  
"Oh. Thanks for reminding me," Takumi sat back with an exasperated sigh as Q and Nikki tossed throw pillows at a grinning Brian.  
  
When Seiya opened the door to the apartment, he gaped for a moment at the person standing there. Then he realized who it was and shut his jaw with an audible snap, "Tia-kun. What an unexpected surprise this is."  
She smiled at him, amused, "Save the charisma for someone who it'll work on, dearie. You'll be a lot better off. Is Yaten in?"  
"No. He's running some errands with Taiki. You want to leave a message?" Seiya motioned her into the apartment. He gaped again when she sashayed past him. Then shook his head at the affect she was having on him, clad in a leather dress with the shortest skirt he'd ever seen.  
"No, I don't. Is he going to be long? Would you mind if I waited?" She turned back to him, smiling slightly.  
"No, no. Not at all. I don't think they'll be gone for very long. Please have a seat."  
"Good," she sank into the leather chair that Yaten habitually sat in when he was home. She looked over her shoulder, "Seiya-kun?"  
"Yes?"  
"Do me a favor, will you? When Yaten gets back, do you think you could contrive to find something that you and Taiki could do somewhere besides here?"  
A knowing look came over Seiya's face, "Sure, no problem."  
"Thanks, I appreciate it."  
  
  
Continued in Chapter 2  



	2. Chapter 6-10

CATCH A SHOOTING STAR  
  
RATING:R  
  
STORY BY: Jeanne Stumbaugh  
  
DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of their creator, Naoko Takenouchi. It is not the intent of this author to profit by the use of these characters.  
  
Sorry, guys, but my email is down!!! You won't be able to reach me if you want to comment on my story for a little while anyway. My motherboard had gone south on me (Something about the way it communicates with my modem is messed up. "AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" to quote Lucy from Peanuts.) and it'll be a little while before I can either bypass the problem or, heaven forbid, replace the motherboard (Which will take even longer.). Anyway, if you really want to send something to me, I'm pretty sure that if you ask her really nicely, my sister, Michelle Harris here, will find some way of getting it to me.  
  
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:  
  
Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One  
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two  
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three  
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four  
Chapters 21 thru 24 are now Chapter Five  
Chapter 25 is the Chapter Six  
  
I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.  
  
  
  
PART SIX  
  
When Yaten and Taiki got back from their errands, Seiya gave Yaten such a leer that it stopped him in his tracks, "What the hell is that for?"  
Seiya stepped back, allowing Yaten full view of the room. Including Tia sitting in his favorite chair, her legs crossed and one high-heeled foot swinging slightly. Yaten almost choked on his own spit when he saw her. Then fought with the urge to cover her with his jacket. Dammit, no one had the right to see that much of her legs but him.  
Taiki, behind Yaten, looked over his shoulder and gaped at the woman sitting in their living room. Yaten, glancing over his shoulder and noticing the expression on his friend's face, elbowed him in the gut, recalling Taiki back to his senses. Taiki grinned at the fierce glare the other sent to him, "Seiya, our manager wants us to look at something at his office."  
"Gee, that's right," Seiya grinned wickedly at the almost panicked look on Yaten's face. "Yaten, since she's here to see you, we'll leave her to you," Seiya and Taiki were both out of the apartment and had shut the door before Yaten could say anything.  
The silence left behind was so absolute that it roared in his ears. He turned back to Tia, who was rising from the chair, a slight smile on her face. He knew she was furious with him, and that didn't make her smile any easier to get used to. She walked slowly towards him, her movements sinuous, voluptuous, her eyes intent on his face and the slight edge to her smile making it no less alluring. She moved in close, not touching, but pressing him back against the wall nonetheless. He knew if he touched her now, he wouldn't be able to hold back from kissing her and maybe repeating what they'd done earlier.  
"So are you going to explain...," she raised her eyes and he was almost blistered by the fire in them and his ears blasted by her voice as she raised it to a bellow, "JUST WHAT THE HELL YOU MEANT BY LEAVING ME THAT DAMNED NOTE?!!"  
"It meant what I wrote," he answered quietly. "What happened was a mistake, Tia. It should never have happened in the first place."  
"A mistake. I see. Mind telling me why?" she'd lowered her voice to its normal pitch.  
"I'm sorry. I--it's just me," he looked down at his feet. "It's just me. I'm sorry."  
"Not half as sorry as you will be, believe me," her promise brought his head up, peridot eyes wide. "I'm not giving up, you know. I'll accept your reason for today. But tomorrow is a different story all together. I'm not forgiving you for leaving me there alone," she moved in closer, leaning against him. "I'm just giving you the chance to get your breath back.  
"I will have you, and that's all there is to it," she tilted her head to the side, her smile widening and he felt a chill crawl down his spine. "I just thought I'd give you a little warning. Not that it'll do you any good."  
She walked around him, towards the door. She opened the door, then stopped, looking over her shoulder, "By the way, there's something that we both forgot about when we made our little . . . 'mistake.'"  
He looked up at her, still trying to digest her promise, "What's that?"  
The look and smile she gave him was thoroughly wicked, "Protection."  
She slipped out the door as he was trying to puzzle that out.  
"Protection? Protection against what?" Then what she'd said hit him like being kicked in the gut by a mule. "OH MY GOD!!!!"  
Tia smiled as the elevators shut on the sound of his bellow, "Oh, I feel much better now."  
  
The man stared down at the paper in his hand, snarling over it, "Just what we needed."  
Another man, standing with him, growled and punched the wall, "Akira, that turncoat. I want you to find him. Now. Bring him back alive. I want him kicking when I make an example of him."  
"Yes, sir," the first man bowed to the other, his face pale, before backing out of the room.  
  
A few days later, Tia was checking her camcorder, making sure it was in working order. She was checking the batteries on it when there came a knock at the door, "Come in!"  
Usagi opened the door and peered around it, "Is it okay to come in?"  
The other girl grinned, "Sure. What? Did you think I was going to bite your head off because you ratted on me to Yaten?"  
"Ah...well...," Usagi put a hand up to the back of her head, embarrassed.  
"Don't worry about it," Tia grinned. "Let's just say I turned the tables on that young man."  
"Why? What happened?"  
"Oh, this and that," she gave a short laugh. "But Yaten's reeling now. Boy, is he."  
"Oh," Usagi decided to drop the matter. "Hey, what's that for?"  
"This?" Tia had replaced the battery pack in the camcorder. "I'm going to shoot some home movies tonight."  
At that moment the phone rang and she answered, "Hello."  
"I got that name you wanted. There was only one name with heavy criminal ties. Ryu Sakamoto. This guy is into major dog doo-doo. From gun running, art smuggling, drugs and prostitution to assassination."  
"Kee-rist," Tia whistled under her breath.   
"Think he's with the Japanese mob?"  
"Ronnie, I didn't check that man for tattoos, you know. But, you know, I don't think so," she chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Some part of me kinda thinks that those guys steer clear of him."  
"Look, you up? I'll send what I have on him. It's some major reading there."  
"I'm up, but let me set this thing to save on a CD," she was silent while she pulled a blank CD from a case, slid it into the drive and punched a few button. "Okay, go."  
"Downloading now. You gonna look at it now?"  
"No. I got something I have to do tonight."  
"Hot date?"  
"No. Something else."  
"Oh, sure," sarcasm colored his voice. "All right, the info has been downloaded. You know, I don't like that you're getting mixed up in this. We're talking a major crime organization here."  
"I know. I don't like it either. But. . . ."  
"I know, I know, your parents. But, I still don't like it. I'm going to tell Nancy. And Takumi, too."  
"You do what you have to, Ronnie. I'm not going to argue with you on it."  
"I just wanted you to know. I don't want anything to happen to you."  
"I understand. I do. Look I've got to go."  
"You call me, let me know you're safe."  
"I will."  
Usagi while not understanding everything that Tia'd said, caught the serious gist of it, "You're going back there tonight, aren't you?"  
"Yes," there wasn't any point in denying it. "I need proof, if I'm to get the police serious about this. That's what the camera is for. It's specially adapted," she pointed to the lens attachment. "This is so I can film in the dark. That way, I can get a clear picture."  
"You can't mean to go alone," Usagi cried out.  
"For now, I have to do this on my own," Tia smiled, gently at the other girl. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. I will tell Takumi. But for now, I'm on my own."  
"I can't get you to change your mind?"  
"No. There are reasons for why I'm doing it this way. One day, I'll tell you about them."  
"Then you be careful," Usagi might not have been able to convince the other girl to let the police have it, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't tell anyone else. She had an idea that Yaten might like to know what Tia was doing. And there wasn't any reason that Sailor Moon and the other Sailor Soldiers couldn't watch over her while she was gathering her evidence. But  
she had one more stop to make first.  
  
  
  
Part Seven  
  
Seiya opened his door, exclaiming, "O-Dango. What're you doing here?"  
Usagi brushed past him, "Is Yaten-kun here?"  
"I'm here," Yaten emerged from the kitchen. "What's going on?"  
"It's Tia-chan! She's gone back to that place!" Usagi rushed over to Yaten. "She said she needed proof of what was happening over there!"  
Yaten cursed, grabbing Usagi's arms, "Where did she go? Do you know where it is?"  
Usagi nodded her head and told him where it was. Yaten was already halfway down the hall when Usagi gained the door. Seiya grabbed her by the arm, "Hey, what's going on?"  
"Tia-chan is trying to bust a crime-ring, as far as I know. She went to gather information on it tonight," Usagi extracted her arm from Seiya's grip. "Look, I just came over cause I thought Yaten might want to know. I've got to get going." She was running down the corridor before Seiya could stop her to question her further.  
  
Yaten made it to the store just as Tia slipped into the alley. Mindful of what she was doing, he slid as stealthily as he could after her. He waited until she was part way up the fire escape before following her up. Even as careful as he was, he still made a good deal more noise than she. When his head cleared the roof, he came face to face with Tia, who was poised to strike, her arm back, ready to deal a bone-crushing blow.  
"Tia, it's me," he hissed, ducking out of range.  
"Yaten," he heard her snarl then felt her grab hold of his tie and yank him up. "What the hell are you doing here?" She pulled him onto the roof, all the while berating him for following her, "It was Usagi wasn't it? I can't even be mad at her for it, either. But at least she had the sense not to follow me."  
"What the hell am I--? It's dangerous, you moron," Yaten hissed at her. "If you'd just gone to your brother-in-law, the police would've taken care it."  
"Oh, yeah right," the look she gave him could've cooked eggs. "Start up a major investigation on the strength of the word of a sixteen-year-old girl? Are you serious? They'd have laughed him right out of the squad room."   
Yaten admitted that made sense, but didn't make it any more palatable, "Well, you could've at least brought me with you."  
"I couldn't put you into danger," she shook her head, moving to the skylight, drawing her camcorder from her backpack. "Well, you're here and there's nothing I can do about it. But let me make this clear, while we're doing this, you do what I say, without questioning me, got it?"  
"I got it. What are you doing?" he watched as she bent precariously over the skylight.  
"I need to get a clear shot of the inside. I rubbed a clear spot the last time I was here, but it's kinda hard to get at now with my hand's full like this," she felt his hands grab her hips and her head whipped around."What are you doing?"  
"If you fall through that skylight it's over for the both of us, isn't it? This way, you don't need to worry about tipping over and you don't need your hands to brace yourself."  
"Well, hold on then, I'm gonna take you at your word," she leaned forward and Yaten tightened his hold and braced his feet apart. "Don't let go."   
"All right, all right. Just do whatever you're going to do, you're heavy."  
"Ha, ha, real funny," then she was quiet as she started recording the scene below her.  
Which, from her vantage point, was quite spectacular. Especially considering the caliber of fire power they were now unloading. She nearly choked as one man opened a crate, and unearthed, under a thin layer of canned goods, rocket launchers and in another crate, the rockets. These were definitely American-made. Military issue. Takumi was going to have a bird when he saw this. Of course he was going to have a herd of cattle when he found out what she'd been up to. But once he got this, her involvement was over. Maybe her life would get back to normal.  
And maybe the Statue of Liberty would start doing the fox-trot on Ellis Island too.  
  
Pulling on the cigarette in his hand, the man picked up the phone and dialed a number. He identified himself to the person who picked up at the other end of the line, then asked to be transferred over to Mr. Sakamoto.   
"Yes," the voice on the other end was brisk.  
"He's not here," the man got straight to the point.   
"Why not?"  
"I had a friend of mine track his credit card bill. He bought a one-way ticket to Canada."  
"Have someone bring him back."  
"I called someone who does jobs for me there. I told him who I wanted brought back. But there's a problem."  
"What problem?"  
"Well, it seems that Akira made headlines coming into the country. He was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. There was a tip that he was coming into the country and he was connected with international gun runners," the man took another drag of his cigarette then said, "I don't think the info we got was right."  
"Go on."  
"I think all the info that was found at Akira's place was bogus. I became aware a couple of weeks ago of this girl who'd been snooping around the Nakamura's store. I kept an eye on her for a little while, but didn't look like she was snooping. She's probably the one who set Akira up and tipped off the Canadians."  
"Oh? Do you know who this girl is?"  
"Yes."  
"Take care of her."  
"I've already taken steps."  
"Good."  
  
Tia stopped the camcorder. She had nearly half an hour's worth of video tape and was satisfied that it was enough to get an investigation going. She straightened up and stepped off the ledge she'd been standing on. Yaten held her until she stepped off the ledge.   
"Now, what?" He asked, quietly, as she stowed the camcorder in her backpack.  
"Now, we beat it. The longer we're here the more likely they'll discover us. Over the side, down the fire escape. Quick as you can without making it sound like a herd of elephants," she slung the backpack onto her shoulders and slipped away from the window and to the fire escape. She started down and Yaten gave her just enough room to keep her hands from being smashed by his feet before starting down himself.  
A man stepped from around the corner just as Yaten hit the alley, "Don't you move."  
"Oh, joy," Yaten murmured, raising his hands in the air.  
"Not again. I'll get us out of this," Tia whispered to him. "Trust me."  
He gave a slight nod. For some odd reason, he did trust her. Not that he couldn't get them out himself. But revealing his alter ego was something one only did with a great deal of thought or only the most deadly of times. Of course, he reasoned, looking down the barrel of a machine gun was definitely a good time to reveal oneself. He just needed a little bit of breathing room. At the precise moment he dropped his hands, the need to transform became moot.  
"WORLD SHAKING."  
The voice came out of the darkness, followed by a ball of pure energy ripping through the darkness. It hit the gunman full in the chest, flinging him backwards into the side of the building with force enough to knock him into dreamland.  
"Oh, no," Tia muttered, drawing Yaten's attention. "Not these guys again."  
"Are you two all right?" Sailor Moon stepped into the alley followed by Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus.  
"Yes, we are, thanks to you. But what are you doing here? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were following me or something." Tia stared, startled at the little black cat which seemed to accompany them before being distracted.  
"So what if we are?" the one with the green hair asked, an amused and highly annoying smile.  
"If you are, I can't stop you," Tia shrugged one shoulder, two could play at that game. "But, aren't there better things you can do with your time? Like save the world or something?"  
"Yes," the blond one agreed. "We just happened to see what was going on, though. Didn't you want us to save you?"  
"Well, I'm grateful. Don't get me wrong. However, I can't approve of your getting involved with this. It was better when only a few people knew about this. The more people who know, the more likely we are of being discovered," she looked at the unconscious man. "And dammit, this is just what I didn't need."  
"What is it?" Sailor Moon asked.  
"We need to get rid of him," Tia knelt down beside the man. "I don't mean kill him. And I can't do the same thing with him that I did with the other. It wouldn't work twice. Nothing forever, either. Just long enough for me to get that video tape to my brother-in-law and . . . Hey, wait a minute. I've got an idea."  
"What idea?" Yaten experienced a slow sinking feeling.  
"How good are you at lying?" Tia laughed at the outraged expression which crossed the Sailor Soldiers's expressions. She told them what she planned. They'd have to move the unconscious man to some other part of the Ten-Street District and call the police with the story that the man had threatened them with a gun. Yaten nodded his head, it was a good plan. And  
they wouldn't be lying, exactly. Just not telling the entire story.  
"I can do it," Yaten said. "It's a good plan. And I know the Police chief at the Tenth-Street District station. So that'll add to my credibility."  
"Add to that, my brother-in-law is a Detective at Police Headquarters, and hopefully it's in the bag," Tia looked over at Uranus. "So what's your name?"  
"Sailor Uranus."  
"Well, Sailor Uranus, you've got gloves on so you're elected to carry the gun."  
"Why?"  
"I don't have any gloves with me, and we don't want any fingerprints except his on the gun."  
"Oh," Uranus picked up the machine gun and held it gingerly in front of her.  
"Oh, wait, just a second," Tia moved to Uranus's side. "Here, turn the gun towards me. No, at an angle. Yeah, like that. See that switch there? Yeah, slide it forward. Good. That was the safety. Now it won't fire accidently," she stifled the urge to laugh at the look on Uranus's face. "Come on, we need get going. We don't need to go far. Just a few blocks maybe. Somewhere, more heavily traveled this time of night, but not too many people."  
They stopped six blocks over and Tia rummaged in her backpack for her cellular phone. She caught their dumbfounded looks and grinned. She had brought the phone with her, but had turned it off, so it wouldn't ring. She turned it on and dialed the police. She added a slight, hysterical edge to her voice when she was speaking to the person on the other end and the others  
were impressed at how well she pulled it off. She hung up the phone and grinned, "Okay, they're on their way. It'll be morning before the police let us go, Yaten. Oh, well. At least we get a good reason for missing school tomorrow," then she groaned. "Oh, man. My brother's gonna freak. And my brother-in-law's gonna be called, too."  
Yaten laughed and she gave him dirty look as she mumbled, "Oh, go ahead and laugh. Brian's going to hire bodyguards and Takumi will dog my steps for days, just you watch. I won't be able to have any fun." A comment which made Yaten laugh even harder even when Tia punched him in the arm.   
They looked up at the sound of sirens in the distance. The Sailor Soldiers looked at each other, then beat it. Tia stepped to the curb and waved her arms frantically for the police to stop. In short order the crook was hauled away, handcuffed and loudly protesting. As the officers were taking her statement, a sleek black sports car came barreling down the street and screeched to a halt next to the first patrol car. Tia almost groaned aloud as Brian and Takumi leapt out of the car. She spent the next few minutes crushed against, first her brother's chest and then her brother-in-law's chest and calming both of them down.  
'It's funny,' she thought to herself, wryly. 'They're so big and brave when it comes to other things, but let one of us girls get hurt or in trouble and they panic.'  
It took her a good ten minutes before they quit interrupting her with "Are you sure you're okay?"'s. And another fifteen before Takumi agreed to let her go to the precinct to make a statement. He didn't want to let her out of his sight. And as a detective with the police department, he had a tendency to take charge of crimes scenes, even if they weren't his. She gave him an exasperated look as she told him that there wasn't a mystery to solve, that they already had the perpetrator in custody and to let the other police officers do their jobs. The other police officers looked on with some amusement, listening to this young girl chiding a senior detective about police work. He reluctantly agreed to let her go to the police station, but insisted on driving them to the police station himself.  
'That way,' she laughed, silently, 'he won't have to let me out of his sight, just in case some bad guy is going to jump out of the carpeting in the police car as I'm going there.'  
  
The next day, Takumi sat yawning at his desk, studying some papers from a case he was working on, when a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up to see a young man in a courier's uniform, "Detective Miyake?"  
"Yes."  
"Delivery for you. Please sign here," the young man indicated on the form for him to sign.  
"Why not just leave it with the receptionist?" he asked as he signed.  
"Special instructions from the sender. The package was to be released only to Detective Miyake," the young man pulled a padded envelope from his pouch and handed it to Takumi, taking the clipboard back. "Have a good day."  
Takumi opened the envelope, a puzzled frown on his face. He pulled out an unmarked videotape and a single folded sheet of paper. He turned the videotape over, making sure there were no identifying marks. Other than the name of the company which produced it, there was nothing. He opened the sheet of paper. There was a short, computer-printed message:  
  
I think you'll find this interesting. You'll find these guys operating out of a small business in the Ten-Street District. I believe the store owners are being intimidated into cooperation by these persons. The men may be associated with a man by the name of Ryu Sakamoto, who is known to be involved in criminal activity. The address is listed below. Better hurry, though, I think they've discovered I've been snooping around on them.  
  
Takumi's curiosity was aroused now, so he took the videotape to a viewing room. As he watched the video tape, his curiosity turned to shock then to adrenaline pumping excitement. This was major. Ten minutes later, he'd seen enough to bring the tape to his chief. He also decided he was going to kill Tia for keeping this from him.  
  
The store was staked out that very night. They didn't even have to wait all that long. A large delivery truck pulled into the alley behind the store at nearly 10 p.m. Takumi straightened in his seat abruptly as fourteen delivery men jumped out of the truck. A moment later, two luxury vehicles pulled up in front of the store and five very well-dressed men climbed out of the cars. Takumi recognized them from the videotape. One opened the delivery bay doors. One spoke with one the delivery men, nodding and gesturing vigorously. The delivery man nodded in acknowledgment and motioned to the others, towards the delivery doors. They disappeared inside and after a few more minutes began loading crates into the truck.  
Takumi spoke into a walkie-talkie, giving last minute instructions, then motioned to his partner. They slid out of the car, quietly closing doors, scuttling from shadow to shadow towards the store. Suddenly, police came boiling out of everywhere, shouting, guns held ready, and police cars, sirens blaring and screeching to a halt.   
The raid went off without a hitch. There was no question of resistance, not when the ratio of police to bad guy was four-to-one. When the crates were opened, the police were shocked at the caliber of firepower found and were more shocked at the huge cache of weapons found in the storerooms. It was going to take days just to get it all cataloged. From the sheer size of the raid,  
they would all be pitching in to get it all cleared.  
The next morning, hours before the owners would show up to open the store, Takumi and his partner went to their home to inform them of what happened. When told of what happened, Yuki Nakamura collapsed into sobs of utter relief. Hideo caught her before she fell and their son and daughter, helped her onto a chair where she sat, trying to compose herself. Their daughter sat on the floor next to her mother, silently, tears streaming down her face. The son sat down on the sofa, pale and trembling. Hideo was pale himself, tears of relief standing out in his eyes.  
"Thank god," he kept saying. "Thank god. It's over. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."  
  
On one hand, Takumi was proud that Tia had discovered what was going on. But on the other, he was furious with her for putting herself into danger. Furious she hadn't trusted him enough to bring this to his attention right off. And really furious with her, because when he thought of what she risked getting videotape footage it scared him badly.  
He was finally able to fall into bed two hours later. He slept for three hours before rising, and showering and heading back to the station, helping with the paperwork, cataloging and details of the case. It was a willingness to help, even when he didn't have to, that made him so popular with the other personnel at the station. He was grim-faced when he finished interrogating the delivery men and their superiors. The delivery men were easily bent, after all,  
they were the low men on the rungs. When the police dangled the possibility of very long prison sentences, they told what they could in the interest of gaining leniency at their trials. The superiors were another story. They sneered at long sentences and weren't intimidated at all by the hard-nosed interrogators. The interrogators couldn't get them to crack.  
The more they refused to give the angrier Takumi became. The longer they didn't talk, the longer he had to stay and the less time he had for his family. If there was one thing that could make him really angry, it was not being able to see his wife and children. And his anger communicated itself quite well with them. Every time he walked into the room, the men shifted,  
restlessly. It was uncomfortable being in the same room with a man who could hold his anger in check so well. Eventually, one of them decided to talk. On the condition that Takumi not be present. The interrogators had found it useful to have Takumi's presence for the very reason that he made the men in question so nervous.  
Takumi was sent home, the chief having noticed how haggard his detective was becoming. The last thing he needed was for one of his best detectives to burn out.  
As Takumi fell into bed, he decided to have a little talk with Tia. Later. Right now, he just needed sleep.  
  
  
  
Part Eight  
  
Tia put her head around the door into Nikki's bedroom and grinned. Takumi was sprawled across the bed, snoring away. She withdrew her head and headed back to the kitchen. She laughed as she reported to her sister, who was preparing lunch, "He's still dead to the world. I never knew he snored."  
Nikki giggled, "Well, he doesn't normally. He only does that when he's really tired or if he's sick. It really embarrasses him, too. Although I don't know why."  
"No kidding," Tia snorted, indelicately. "His snoring is delicate in comparison to Grandpa's."  
"Tell me about it," Nikki handed Tia a knife and pointed at the chicken. "You take care of the chicken."  
"Oh, do I have to?" Tia whined, a playful light in her eyes, "I didn't sign on to do slave labor, you know. You're only doing this cause you can't debone a chicken right."  
Nikki twinkled back at her sister, "You're the expert."  
"Well, glad to know someone finally noticed," Tia grinned as her sister rolled her eyes, then made quick work of deboning the chicken.  
The smell of food brought her brother and her niece into the kitchen, both saying, "Something smells good!"  
They sat in the kitchen, while the food was cooking, chatting. Tia goofed with Q, teasing her like any older sibling would. But Q knew Tia's secret weakness, she was extremely ticklish. So much so that just wiggling fingers in the general direction of her abdomen set her laughing. And once Q actually got her hands on to Tia, she was impossible to throw off, particularly since  
Tia became too weak from laughter to push her off. Of course, once Tia fell out of her chair Q backed off, a wicked grin spread all over her face. Tia giggled in fits and starts, supine on the floor, regaining her strength.  
When she pulled herself off the floor, she glared at Brian, "You rat, you told her!"  
Brian grinned, playfully, "I just gave her an advantage over you."  
"Oh, really?" the wicked smile that spread over Tia's face didn't bode well for Brian. "Well, turnabout's fair play. Just you wait, big bro, I know a few secrets about you."  
"You wouldn't!" Brian half-stood.  
"Why not?" Tia grinned, remaining seated. "You did."  
"Oh, this sounds interesting," Nikki joined the fray, her grin matching her sister's. "What do you know, Tia?"  
"Oh, no, you don't," Brian collapsed back into his seat, a beleaguered expression on his face, "If you don't watch it, Nikki, I'll tell Takumi about Todd," he was referring to her former boyfriend.  
"Don't you dare!" Nikki picked up her glass of water, ready to throw it at her brother.  
"Todd? What about Todd?" Tia turned on Nikki. "Was there something you didn't tell me about good old Todd?"  
Nikki ignored Tia in favor of changing the subject, "So, Brian, when's the opening going to be?"  
He chuckled at her blatant change of subject, "Saturday night. Which reminds me," he got up and went into the other room, chuckling when he heard Tia murmur to Nikki, "Don't think you've gotten out of telling me about Todd."  
When he returned, he had a small packet with him, "Here are the invites to the opening party. I wanted to give you some."  
"You'd better give me a lot," Tia grinned at him. "I've suddenly acquired a whole lot of friends, lately."  
"This do?" He picked out about a quarter of the invites.  
She counted through the invitations, "Oh, yeah, this will do nicely."  
"I got a call from Sloane and Daniel," Nikki took a stack of invitations. "They won't make it, I'm afraid. Sloane can't get out the country's she's in. Seems the local government has taken a dislike to Americans right now. She's decided to lay low for a while. She also said she heard about a guy who could get her out. She said she was going and see if he'd help her."  
"Daniel said Terese and the twins are down with the flu. He wants to stick close to home," Nikki put her chin on her hands. "I did so want to see the twins again. It's been a while."  
The others agreed as Tia checked on the chicken. She finished the timer for the rice went off. Laughing and joking, Brian and the girls finished cooking lunch. Nikki's children poked their heads around the corner of the kitchen and stared in surprise at their uncle, who was adorned in an apron, and cooking along side of his sisters. While it wasn't unusual for their father to help their mother cook, they'd never seen him put on their mother's frilled apron. Brian even pulled off the wearing of it with panache.  
  
Tia knocked on Usagi's front door, then stepped back to look at the house. It was nice. Big, too, with two stories and an old-fashioned attic floor. Ikuko, Usagi's mother, opened the door, smiling at the young woman standing on her front doorstep, looking at her house, "Yes, may I help you?"  
"Oh! Hello. Is Usagi in?" Tia smiled, widely. "I'm a friend of hers from school. I was hoping to catch her here."  
"Oh, yes, she's in," Ikuko motioned for Tia to enter. "She's in her room. I'll show you."  
"You're her mother, right?"  
"Yes."  
"Let me introduce myself then. I'm Tia MacKenzie. I'm a transfer student from the U.S."  
"Oh, from America! How nice," Ikoku looked at the young woman next to her. "It must be very strange, living in a foreign country like this."  
"Well," Tia thought about it for a moment. "It took a while for me to get used to translating everything people said before I replied, and driving on the opposite side of the road. But other than that, everything's cool. It helped a lot, having a Japanese brother-in-law and a sister who's living here, too. That way, they can help me before I mortally offend someone," she grinned and shrugged her shoulders. They reached Usagi's door and she paused, "Oh, I almost forgot. My brother is opening up a dance club in the area, and the grand opening is on Saturday night. Is it all right if Usagi came? I'm afraid she'll be home rather late. My brother said that he'll have a limousine drive my friends home."  
"Oh, well, yes I suppose she could go," Ikoku smiled again. "A limousine, that's nice of your brother."  
"Yeah," Tia wrinkled her nose. "I don't even rate a limo."  
Usagi opened the door as her mother was giggling, "Oh, Tia. What's funny?"  
"I'll let your friend tell you," Ikoku smiled. "It was nice meeting you."  
"It was nice meeting you, too," Tia grinned before following Usagi into her room.  
"So, Tia," Usagi sat down at the table next to her bed, "what's up?"  
"This," Tia pulled one of the invitations from her pocket, sitting down on the other side of the table, "My brother's opening up a club and grand opening night is Saturday. I was hoping you'd come. Your mom said it'd be all right. You don't have any plans for that night, do you?"  
"Nothing I can't put aside," Usagi took the invitation. "I was just going to get together with the girls at the Crown."  
"Oh, well, I've got invitations for them, too," Tia pulled out the stack she had with her. "Maybe you'd like to help me deliver them?"  
Tia went still, someone had just come into the room on silent feet. She spun about, facing the doorway. Of course, she missed seeing the person who'd come in at first because she was looking right over her. Then the shock of fuchsia hair drew her eyes and she became aware of the tiny person standing in the door way. The little one looked so much like Usagi, other  
than the hair, that Tia was floored.  
"I know she isn't yours," Tia said to Usagi, pointing at the little girl and making a funny face at Usagi. "I mean, you're way young, you know. This is your sister, right?"  
Usagi, still uncomfortable with calling the little one her sister, nodded after a slight pause, "That's Chibi-Chibi-chan."  
"Well, hi, Chibi-Chibi-chan," Tia dropped onto her hands and knees to bring her face to face with the little one.  
The little girl's face split into the biggest, cutest grins Tia had ever received, "Hi, hi!"  
"You're so cute," Tia put a hand on top of Chibi-Chibi's head. She laughed and looked at Usagi, "She's a lot like cotton candy, all pink and fluffy and sweet."  
". . . and sweet," Chibi-Chibi mimicked in her tiny little voice, and the older girl laughed in delight.  
  
They went the rounds, stopping by the Crown checking to see if any of the others were there. Then they headed out to each of the girl's homes. Makoto's place was first, then Ami's place, then Minako's, then they stopped by the Rei's shrine.  
"Oh, wow," Tia breathed as she took in Rei's home. She'd never been to a Temple before, but she was awed by the simple beauty of it. She couldn't imagine living in it, either. Probably her Western mentality asserting itself. To her, the only people who lived in a holy place were nuns and monks. But then she ran into something like this and it turns everything over on its side until she got used to it.  
She was introduced to Rei's grandfather, the priest in charge of the temple. She thought he was a funny little man, joking and teasing and flirting with her. Then she saw Yuichiro, sweeping out in the yard and excused herself to run over to him.  
"Well, this is lucky," Tia grinned after exchanging greetings with him. "I was hoping to run into you. Here," she gave him one of the invitations.  
"The StarWay Club? It's opening a branch here in Japan?" Yuichiro exclaimed, becoming excited. "This is an invitation to the grand opening! How in the world did you get this?"  
"I'm co-owner, Yuichiro," Tia laughed at his expression. "And a major stockholder in the company. Of course I'm going to get invitations to pass out. Rei and the girls already said they'd come. So I'm expecting you to come also," she smiled, amused. "Dress to impress, Yuichiro, because the club is ultra-chic. Oh, and I'll expect you by 6:00 P.M."  
"But the opening doesn't start until 9:00," Yuichiro sounded confused.   
"Just in case," she winked at him. "Besides, there are some things I want to go over with you. See you then. By the way, Rei's watching so look delighted," she winked at his astonished expression, then at the delight which spread over his face when he realized what she'd said.  
Oh, yeah, Tia grinned. That'll get Rei's blood going for sure. Too bad Yaten isn't here. He'd be ready to kick Yuichiro's butt. Although, it probably wouldn't be any contest, Yuichiro being as big as he is and Yaten being such a skinny thing. But he's all muscle anyway. Nice and tight, she grinned at the memory even as she blushed at her own wicked thoughts. She caught the look in Rei's face and nearly laughed out loud. And Rei's ready to come over here and kick my behind. Perfect.  
  
"Okay, now all I have to do to get these to Yaten, Taiki, and Seiya," Tia chewed her lip, fingering three of the remaining invitations. "Which is going to be a problem."  
"Why's that?" Usagi tilted her head at Tia.  
"Weren't you watching during the week, Usagi-chan?" Tia gave a short laugh. "Yaten's been doing a pretty good job of avoiding me this past week," she shrugged and grinned. "Well, not that I blame him or anything. But it makes it difficult."  
"What's with you two anyway?" Usagi tilted her head to the side.  
Tia sighed, clasping her hands behind her back, "I'm still trying to figure it out. I don't know, maybe it's love?"  
"Really?" Usagi frowned. "Lu--A friend told me that he already has a woman he loves."  
"Hmm," Tia thought about that for a moment. "Well, maybe so. I don't know him well. But there's love and there's love," she grinned, she'd totally lost Usagi on that one, she knew.  
"How do you mean?"  
"Well, there's loving someone, then there's being in love with someone. My grandmother explained it to me," she tilted her head back, remembering her grandmother's words. "You see, you can love someone, without being in love with them.  
"You love your family, and your friends, right? That's loving. Being in love is something reserved for one person and one person only. Your boyfriend, your lover, your husband. Of course, you can love them, too. My grandmother says being in love is akin to passionate love. She says that for love to work, you had to both love and be in love with your partner," she smiled at the other girl. "Does that make sense to you? It does to me. But then, I'm lucky, I had some perfect examples of this. My parents and grandparents."  
Usagi was silent, contemplating what the other girl said. They walked in silence, down the steps and onto the street.  
"Hey," Tia grinned suddenly, "I could really go for some coffee and, wouldn't you know it, there's a cafe down the street."  
"Oh, yes," Usagi smiled, happy to be on her favorite subject: food. "They're really good, too."  
"I hope so, if there's one thing I can't stand is a bad cup of coffee," Tia grinned, a twinkle coming into her eye. "I should know, I make the worst coffee of everyone I know."  
"You're kidding."  
"Actually, no. They only let me make coffee if they need to stay awake for anything," Tia opened the cafe door and held it for Usagi. "Takumi usually asks me to make a couple of thermoses for him and his partner when they go on stakeout. He says my coffee is strong enough to burn a hole through tempered steel."  
Usagi laughed at this description, then headed for an empty table. She'd almost reached one, when a husky voice said, "Well hello, my little kitten."  
She turned to see Haruka and Michiru sitting at a table in the corner and smiled in greeting, "Haruka, Michiru!"  
"Oh," Tia stopped at the sight of the two. "Are these friends of yours?"  
"Yes," Usagi introduced the two to the other girl.  
"Pleased to meet you," there was a slight frown between Tia's brows by the end of the introduction. She stared at the other two as they slid into the booth with them. For some reason, she felt as if she'd met them before. But she had an excellent memory and would've remembered two such distinctive people. The blond was tall and leggy with short hair and piercing eyes. She  
was dressed in an understated sort of way. The other had aqua-green hair that was so natural that Tia didn't think the woman dyed her hair that color. She had a calm, elegant grace in manner and dress.  
"Is there something wrong?" Haruka asked.  
"No, not really. It's just that. . . . Do I know you?"  
Haruka was surprised at the question. Did the girl know something? They'd met before, of course. But Haruka had been Sailor Uranus at the time. She couldn't very well admit to that, "No. . . we've never met."  
"No? No, of course not," Tia scratched her temple. "It's just I have this weird feeling we've met before. But you two are too pretty for me not to remember you," she must've said something that amused Usagi, because the other girl giggled quietly. "What?"  
"You said pretty, about the both of them," Usagi giggled again, and by this time, Michiru had caught on and laughed quietly.  
"Yes?" Then Tia caught on, "Oh, you mean, because I called someone you think I assume is a man pretty. But I can see that she's a woman."  
"You knew Haruka was a woman?" Usagi stared at her.  
"Well, yes," she smiled. "No Adam's apple. A man would have a prominent one."  
Haruka put a hand to her throat. She'd never really thought of it. Amazing what a little thing could reveal about one, "You've got sharp eyes to catch that."  
"I'd better," Tia grinned. "I want to be a private investigator when I get out of school and I need to hone everything I can to give me an edge."  
"Really?" Usagi stared at Tia, her eyes round in surprise. "Why? I mean, why not be a policeman or something?"  
"I would, but I wouldn't be able to pass the physical exam," Tia grinned at the surprise on the other girl's face. "You see, when I was little I wanted to be a FBI agent," she stopped at the uncomprehending look on the other girl's face. "The FBI is sort of like a nationwide police force, with jurisdiction all over the country, rather than just in a small area. Anyway, a few years ago, I was. . . sort of in an accident. It messed up my knee pretty badly and I had to have surgery to correct it all. It still isn't quite the same as it used to be," she shrugged dismissing the subject. "So, tell me, how did you meet Usagi?"  
Haruka smiled slightly, half-closed her eyes so that she looked like a cat, "Do you really want to know?"  
Tia, while taken aback by the look for half a second, grinned naughtily, "Oh, yes. And don't leave out the juicy bits either. I want to hear everything," she added the last word sotto voice and laughed out loud at the astonishment on the woman's face. "Oh, I'm sorry, but you walked right into that one. I couldn't help it, the opportunity was too good to resist," she laughed again, then cleared her throat, "But seriously, how do you know Usagi?"  
"Oh, we ran into each other by chance. She uses the same video arcade I used to go to," Haruka smiled. "I'd known Michiru before that and met her when she came to meet me there."  
The conversation became more general after that. They'd finished their coffee and were waiting for the tab, when Usagi started then jabbed Tia in the ribs. Tia, not prepared for the move and being extremely ticklish besides, let out a surprised whoop, attracting disapproving stares from people from several other tables. She colored slightly, grinning sheepishly.  
"Sorry about that. You surprised me," she looked at Usagi. "What?"  
"Do you have any extra invitations? Maybe Haruka and Michiru could have them?"  
"There are," she pulled them from her pockets. She took three, then gave the rest to Usagi. "Looks like there are about five left over. If you want, you can give the rest out to your other friends."  
"Thanks," Usagi took two from the remaining invitations and handed them over to Michiru. "Here you go."  
Michiru looked at the invitation, "The StarWay Club? Isn't that the place over on Third Street? They're opening soon?"  
"The grand opening is Saturday. The other girls are coming. And transportation afterwards is provided. If you're so inclined," Tia stopped abruptly, and snapped a finger. "I've got it!"  
"Got what?" Usagi blinked at her.  
"Here," Tia handed the three invitations she had to Usagi. "You're perfect. You can get the invitations to Seiya, Taiki and Yaten."  
Usagi grinned, she was always up for a little matchmaking. And there was the scent of a major league romance here. She caught the look Haruka and Michiru exchanged and the expressions on their faces. Haruka and Michiru, who didn't trust the Starlights as far as they could throw them with their pinkies, narrowed their eyes in disapproval.  
  
The man bowed to the man sitting in an overstuffed leather chair behind a huge, highly-polished mahogany desk, "The arrangements have been made, Sakamoto-Sama."  
"Good," Ryu Sakamoto sipped coffee from a delicate porcelain cup. "I'm pleased, Kuriyama, at your swiftness in dealing with this . . . inconvenience."   
"All that's to be done now is wait for the right opportunity."  
"Yes," Sakamoto looked up at the man with a half-smile on his face.  
  
  
  
PART NINE  
  
"Tia," Takumi put his head around the Tia's open front door and was nearly blown off his feet as she raced past him.  
Tia, breathless and frazzled, skidded to a halt, "Oh! Takumi-oniisan, sorry, I didn't see you. I haven't time to talk. Brian wants me at the club. I promised to help him with last minute set up. See you later, okay?" This last was flung over her shoulder as she raced for her bike.  
"Okay, but I need to talk with you!" Takumi yelled after her.  
"Later!" Tia slammed her helmet on, kick-started her bike and zoomed out of the courtyard.  
"Later, little sister," Takumi's lips quirked.  
  
"Hey, Usagi-chan," she asked Usagi the next morning, "did you get the invites to them?"  
"Yes, I gave them to Seiya yesterday evening. He said they'd come if he had to drag the others kicking and screaming," Usagi winked at Tia and the other girl grinned.  
"Good," she turned to the group in general. "By the way, what are you guys going to wear?"  
"Uh, well, I really don't know yet," Ami shook her head. "Why?"  
"Why don't you come over tonight with some outfits and I'll help you chose the best ones? And bring Rei, too. Usagi knows where I live."  
"Okay, but we should really study tonight, though," Ami shook her head. "Midterms are coming up." She was, of course, referring to mid-term tests which were still more than a month and a half away.  
Tia groaned, good-naturedly, as Minako, Mina and Usagi hit the floor, "Oh, come on, Ami-chan! You know what they say about all work and no play. You just gotta know how to balance things out. I happen to think that you study way too much, anyway."  
"But I just want to be the best doctor I can be," Ami protested, vehemently.  
"That's fine, Ami-chan," Tia grinned, "and studying well is a part of that. But there's more to being a good doctor than just studying. Besides, even doctors need to know how to have fun. If they don't, they end up being a doctor people don't like going to see, even if they have to go," she winked at the other girl. "And a couple of nights spent at leisure activities isn't going to kill you. And you'll have all day Sunday to study, anyway.  
"Okay, everybody," Tia suddenly said, "now, run! Or we're going to be late for class!"  
She laughed as they all took to their heels at a dead run for class.  
  
When Tia got home from school , she could barely get her motorcycle through the gates into the courtyard, it was so packed with vehicles. She grinned, that meant most of her family was there. She'd missed all of them greatly and it would be nice to catch up on things again. She stowed her bike out of the way, stowed her gear at her place and not even bothering to change from her uniform, rushed into the main house.  
The first person she saw as she came barreling into the house was her grandfather. She let out a whoop and threw herself at him. Her grandfather, Daniel MacKenzie, a retired FBI agent and now a highly-paid private investigator and security specialist, not expecting the whoop, whirled at her in a crouch, ready to fight. Then, recognizing her voice, straightened just in time to catch her against him, laughing as he staggered to keep his balance.  
"Grandpa!! Oh, my god, it's good to see you again!" she buried her face in his chest, squeezing her tightly, inhaling his dear, familiar scent.  
"Easy, girl, easy! I'm gonna need those ribs later on, you know," her grandfather laughed, hugging her back. "It's good to see you again, too. Let me look at you," he put her away from him and stared at her, the smile fading from his face and reflective look coming to his face. "Something's changed about you, girl," he put his arm around her. "You look as good as ever, but there's something different about you. Something about the air of you."  
He can tell, Tia thought in amazement. "I'm in love, Grandpa."  
"Love?" Her grandfather stopped abruptly, looking down at her. He rested his head on top of hers. "Just what you needed right now. Does he love you too?"  
"I think, I hope," Tia's eyes were sad. "But there's so much going on inside him I don't know. Something that's making him sad, but something that he's absolutely determined about. He's fighting this as hard as he can. Because of what's going on with him, that what he has to do goes first and feelings like this have to come second," she smiled, sadly. "I understand, I do.  
And if he can never. . . love me like I do him, then I'll take whatever he'll give me. And be his friend, even if I can't be his love."  
Her grandfather sighed, "Your grandmother's going to kill him."  
"No, she's not," Tia gave a watery laugh. "She'll understand. She won't like it, but she'll understand." She paused a moment to think about it and added, "I think."  
"Well, you better go tell her. She's in the living room, kicking butt on the video games," he nudged her towards the door. "And whatever you do, don't tell your brothers."  
"No kidding," Tia rolled her eyes. "Oh, and that goes for Takumi, too, Grandpa. Don't make the mistake of thinking he's any different than Brian and the others."  
"You're kidding," her grandfather rubbed his forehead with his hand.  
"I wish I was. You should've seen him when this weirdo tried to attack me and my friend."  
"You were attacked?" Daniel sent her The Look. "And you didn't tell me about it?"  
Tia grinned, "I'll tell you about it later. It really wasn't any big deal, anyhow."  
She left him shaking his head after her.  
  
She spent the next hour closeted with her grandmother and all her sisters who were present at the time in Nikki's bedroom. Every once in a while one of the brothers or one of the husbands would wander over to the door and knock. A feminine head would appear around the door and whoever was there would be told to go and make himself useful in the kitchen or in the living room with the kids. The door would shut and the man on the other side would stare bewildered at the shut door. The only man who was allowed inside was her grandfather and he was in and out several times in that hour.  
An hour after that, Usagi and her friends showed up, bearing clothing with them as requested. They were ushered into the living room, and offered refreshments by the husbands in the house. The girls stared in surprise at domesticated men. The only men they'd met who did things like that they knew, were Mamoru and chefs in restaurants.  
Whenever one of Tia's brothers would wander into the room, or sometimes just blow through the room, the girls would blush in admiration. On the whole, the MacKenzie men were very handsome specimens. One or two were Adonis-like, but the most were just handsome. But add charismatic to the mix and you have a deadly combination. And all her brothers had more than their fair share of charisma.  
Of course, the MacKenzie women knew how to pick their men too. And the husbands of the bunch were as charismatic as the MacKenzie's themselves. While some of them lacked in the looks department, each had enough charm to bring a blush to the cheek. Takumi Miyake, their host, had looks, charisma and a very old, well-respected name and the money that went with it.  
Five minutes after being served refreshments, Tia came into the room. And after a veritable flood of attractive women streamed into the room with her. Disbursing in various directions. Her grandmother and grandfather stayed long enough to be introduced, then excused themselves to supervise in the kitchen.  
"Goodness gracious, Tia, who are all these people?" Michiru Kaiou asked, wide-eyed.  
She grinned at the older girl, "Would you believe my immediate family?"  
"No way!" Haruka Tenno blurted then blushed in dismay.  
Tia laughed at that, "Yes way. And guess what? They're not all here either! There are more coming as we speak. Anyway, let's go across the way, to my place. There'll be more room over there. We won't have all these rug rats under foot," she laughed as she dodged a gaggle of children who pounded through the room, with her grandmother at their heels. "All right, Grandma! Kick their butts for me."  
Her grandmother winked and followed the children into the den and Tia grinned her friends, "My grandmother is a wiz at video games. Not something you'd expect from a general in the Marines."  
"Not to mention grandmothers," Ami stared after Tia's grandmother.  
"Well. . . it's a lot more common in the U.S. than it would be here, to tell you the truth," Tia led the way out of the house. "I remember my mother could kick my butt in one-on-one fighting games. And my dad was the arcade game king."  
Tia ushered them into her home, and waved them to dispose themselves wherever they pleased. She brought out snacks and drinks, then flopped down onto the couch next to Michiru, "All right, who's first? What did you bring for me to see?" then she jumped to her feet, and pointed at her bedroom. "No, no, in fact, I want you to model it for me! In there, please."  
Haruka went first. The first outfit was a tuxedo. Tia rejected that one as way too formal. And the ruffles on the shirt were a little outre. The next was very nice, if you were just going out for a quiet dinner with your significant other. The next one was perfect, however, the perfect combination of taste and chic. It was a silk suit, dark in color with a crisp white shirt with a stand up collar that had a jewel button closure. There were matching accents on the cuffs.  
Michiru was next. Tia rejected the first outfit the girl was wearing as having too many ruffles. The next was too girlish, with ruffled edges and short, puff sleeves. The next, a long white sheath with aqua-green satin sash tied in a large bow in front was a little too formal. The next was a high-necked green dress which hit her mid-thigh and fit her like a glove. It had gauze sleeves ending in satin cuffs. Tia frowned at her, walking a slow circled around her. The big bow in the back threw the dress off a little, but otherwise it was perfect.   
Minako leapt to her feet. She picked up the four outfits she brought with her, and disappeared into the bedroom. Five minutes later, she reappeared, wearing a pink short skirt set. It was cute and went with her personality, but it wasn't quite right so Tia shook her head. And the rest were, too. Tia got the idea that maybe all the girls would have something like this. And so it proved.  
"This'll never do," Tia said to the downcast girls. "Well, you know what they say. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. Come on girls, I'll go get my sister, and we'll hit the boutiques."  
"But, I don't have any more allowance!" Usagi groaned in dismay.  
"Don't worry about it," Tia grinned, undeterred. "It's on me. It's not like I can't afford it. Come on. You two, too," she pointed at Michiru and Haruka. "Just because you're perfect, doesn't mean you don't go with us. After all there are four other people to shop for."  
"Probably six," a new voice said from the doorway.  
Standing in the doorway was Takumi with a woman with long, long dark hair and young girl, with short shoulder-length hair, "Sorry just to walk in here like this. But I didn't think you'd mind my bringing them in."  
"Setsuna-san, Hotaru-chan!" Usagi bounced out of her chair. "I gave them an invitation. Is it all right that I invited Hotaru-chan? She's not too young."  
"No she's not too young," Takumi smiled, which, to Tia's amusement produced no few blushes in the room. "Our children, except for the youngest ones, will be running amok at the club tomorrow night."  
Tia winked at Hotaru, "It's sort of become a StarWay trademark opening. Oh, Takumi-oniisan, could you please ask Nikki to come over? We," she waved at the room in general, "need to go shopping and we're going to need her and the mini-van."   
"Shopping?" a teasing light came into Takumi's eye. "You and your shopping."  
Tia cocked her hip, hand on her hip, "Oh-ho, you should talk, Takumi-oniisan, I've seen your credit card bills. And a good 75% of all purchases you've made were for clothes," she looked over her shoulder at the girls. "He's quite a clothes-horse."  
There was a slight blush on his cheeks by this time, but there was also laughter in his eyes too, "I've got an image to maintain, you know. Unlike some people I know."  
"You're just jealous," she rolled her eyes at him. "Now would you go get your wife before I'm forced to get really serious here?"  
"You don't have it in you," he taunted back and she stuck her tongue out at him. "We still haven't had that talk by the way. But I can wait until this madhouse settles down."  
"That is impossible," Tia called after his back and he waved his hand over his shoulder and she could hear is laughter drifting back.  
"Your brother-in-law is so cool," Rei sighed as he went beyond earshot.  
"Yeah, he is," Tia laughed slightly. "And you really can't tell that he's just a cop, either."  
"He's a policeman? No way!" Minako exclaimed, in shock.  
"Best in his division. Which is Tokyo Headquarters, by the way. With his looks he could've been a model," Tia was scrounging in her desk for her credit cards. "It had a lot to do with his father," she looked up at Makoto and smiled. "His name was Makoto, too. He was kind of a legend in certain circles. I mean, even I'd heard of him, in America. He was probably one of  
the greatest martial artists in the world.  
"He had this thing for justice, too. And he taught it to his son. It was the reason that Takumi joined the police force. He felt he could do a lot of good that way, rather than just helping out whenever needed, like his father was called on to," she shook her head in fond exasperation. "But he works too damned hard."  
"How do you mean?" this was from Setsuna.   
"Well, take this last week or so. He's on this really big case. He's hardly been home. His chief had to order him home, you know, or he would've kept right on working."  
"He puts in a lot of hours at work," Michiru mused. "Your sister doesn't mind?"  
"She does," Tia smiled. "But she understands. You don't stop being a policeman even when you come home. You're always one, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year," she shrugged. "But, then we MacKenzies know about that kind of thing only too well. There are three traditional careers in my family, you know. The law, the military and the entertainment industry," she grinned, hitching a shoulder. "My grandfather was a law enforcement officer, both my father and mother were. My uncles are policemen and my aunt is a prosecuting attorney for her county.  
"We grew up, knowing that maybe one day, one or both of our parents weren't going to be coming home one day," her face grew incredibly sad. "And it happened, a few years ago. But, we knew it could happen. Like my grandmother knew it with my grandfather and he with her. It's something we've had to deal with all of our lives. But you stick it out. You have to, because you have no other choice, not if you love them."  
Nikki chose that moment to stick her head around the front door. Glancing from solemn face to solemn face, she whistled, "So serious, in here. What've been talking about?"  
"Nothing really," Tia shook off her melancholy thoughts. "Okay, people let's shop!"  
"Yeah!!"  
  
In an office at Galaxy T.V., the feet of a elegantly clad woman hit the floor, "I've got him!"  
"Who, Kurasuma-San?" came the soft voice of another elegantly clad woman, dressed in silvery blue.  
"Your next target, my rival," Kurasuma tossed a newspaper onto the desk of the other woman. "There he is! Detective Takumi Miyake. He's perfect!"  
Siren picked up the paper, looking at the elegant face in the picture, "He does look nice, but are you sure, Kurasuma-San? I mean, all the other targets you've picked. . . ."  
"Well, you haven't done so well yourself either," Kurasuma leaned over Siren. "I mean, that ceramic artist was a dud, too."  
"Where are we going to find him?"  
"That's easy enough," Kurasuma pointed at the paper. "The article says that his wife works for Galaxy T.V."  
"Well," Siren began smiling, "isn't that fortunate."  
"Yes, yes it is."  
  
  
PART TEN  
  
Usagi stared at herself in the mirror, "Tia-chan? Are you sure this is all right?"  
Tia grinned, "Oh, yes. Tight enough you can't breathe and short enough to give your boyfriend a heart attack. It's perfect. It even goes with your pig-tails."  
And it was; a tight, little leather thing. A blue mini-skirted dress, sleeveless with a high collar and strategic cut-outs in various shapes; a circle over her chest, showing a hint of cleavage, pentagon over her abdomen, showing her belly-button, and the back was open from the bottom of her nape to the small of her back, with six delicate silver chains crisscrossing her back. The outfit was finished with ankle boots with a delicate silver chains circling the ankle.  
"I don't know," Usagi twisted and turned for a better view. "I feel kind of exposed."  
"Trust me, it's copacetic. Compared to some women there, you'll be overdressed," Tia winked. "Just, don't show your parents. Your dad would probably freak, if he's anything like my brothers are," she stuck her head around the dressing room door, speaking to the saleslady. "Sold! Oh, and everything will be put on my bill when everything's been decided on."  
The saleslady, while pleased, was naturally skeptical at the word of a 16 year-old-girl. Tia waved her platinum card at the lady and grinned, "Oh, don't worry, it's the real thing. And my limit's so high, I wouldn't be able to max out this thing in one day even if I tried. If you're skeptical, then talk to my sister, Nikki Miyake."  
As she withdrew her head, Usagi asked, "Is it really that high?"  
"Yes. Somewhere close to a five million yen, I should imagine," she laughed at the flabbergasted expression on the other girl's face. "I couldn't get this on my own, I assure you. It's from a special account my grandfather took out for me off his business accounts. I'm the only one who uses it, so he just sends me the bill when it comes each month. No big deal."  
"No big deal?" Usagi choked. "This outfit costs so much. How are you going to pay for it?"  
"With money. Usagi-chan," Tia put a hand on the other girl's shoulder, "if I wanted, I could buy every single outfit in this boutique, in cash, from my petty cash funds and still have enough left over to live in high style for at least three years, if additional deposits weren't made. After all, when you're rich, money's no big deal."  
"Yeah, when you're rich," Usagi muttered.  
"Yeah, but the thing is about being rich, you got to get over it. If you don't," Tia shrugged, "you become vain, egocentric. Thinking only of yourself can get someone hurt, badly, even killed. My grandfather taught me that," she sighed. "I'm rich, but it was an accident of birth, rather than by design. And the way my parents and grandparents, especially my grandmother, brought me up equipped me to deal with life even if my fortune were stripped away. It's what they intended after all."  
"Why especially your grandmother?" Usagi was shrugging into her shirt.  
"My grandmother grew up poor. Not dirt poor, mind you. But both her parents worked to make ends meet and the kids helped out at home as much as they could. My grandmother never forgot her roots and while she married into money, she didn't want us to rely on being rich. She told me that you never can be sure if the money would still be there. It might run out. She didn't want her kids or her grandkids living off of the money that their parents left them. My father told me, before he died, that it was the best thing his parents had ever done for him. It kept him on an even keel, rather than letting him swell up like a prize cockerel," she imitated the strutting walk of a rooster which had Usagi giggling immediately. "Anyway, that's why. And why are we talking about something so serious? We're supposed to be shopping!"  
  
The girls all collapsed in the most convenient chairs when they got back to Tia's place. Nikki gave a short laugh, "Oh, my dears. I didn't think we'd get everyone back into the van after that shopping expedition. Everyone had so many boxes!"  
"It was fun, though, wasn't it?" Tia began giggling. "Oh, god, you should've seen some of the looks we got from people in the cars around us."  
"Some of them weren't," Makoto had one of her feet in her hands, rubbing the bottom with her thumbs. "I got this leer from this guy on a motorcycle," her cheeks warmed to a cherry glow. "He sort of looked like my Senpai."  
From exasperated looks the rest of the group sent her this was a much-mentioned person. Tia and her sister shared an amused look. Nikki and several of their other sisters suffered the same thing when they were in high school. Tia didn't, mainly because her school life, until recently, revolved around studying and her career goals. But she'd heard all about it from her sisters and her brothers, who'd had the unenviable task of discouraging undesirable suitors.  
Of course, it was a good thing some of those undesirable suitors stuck to their guns, she thought, amused. They made the best husbands for my sisters. God, I hope it turns out just as well for me.  
Unconsciously, her hands came up and cupped themselves over her abdomen. The possibility that she might be a mother soon was still a shock to her system, but it also gave her a sense of incredible anticipation. If she was, she hoped that Yaten would, somehow, be a large part of their life. If not, she just hoped that she'd be able to keep her brothers from killing him.  
What a mess I've gotten myself into, she didn't even think twice about shouldering all the blame, it was the way she was. Hopefully, it'll work out in the end. I've just got to get back on a speaking basis with Yaten. I can only try.  
  
Yaten tossed the sheet music he was looking over on the coffee table, "Why do we have to go there anyway?"  
"This is a big deal, Yaten," Seiya looked up from his homework. "The StarWay Club is an international corporation and very influential. A lot of important people in Japan will be there and we need all the exposure we can get. The invitations to the grand opening are exclusive. This is also an international event, the scuttlebutt says there will be news crews here from various other parts of the world, especially America, since that's where their corporate HQ is."  
"I still don't want to go," Yaten slouched in his chair, folding his arms.  
"We need the exposure," Taiki said, typing at his computer. "We're going."  
"So says God," Yaten sighed putting his head back. Invariably, his mind drifted to Tia. He was still blown away by the possibility that she might be pregnant. Still angry with himself for being so careless of her--of his actions. A part of him though, a growing part of him, rejoiced that he may have created a new life. That he may be a father. But the rational part of him, was cursing himself. He had a responsibilities that he couldn't, that he wouldn't shirk, a mission more important than even himself. And in an instant of insanity, he'd thrown a spanner in the works and found himself weaving an erratic course that he had little hope of correcting.  
I need to talk with Tia, he resolved, standing and heading for the door.  
"Where are you going?" Seiya's eyebrows rose. "Have you forgotten that we've got a recording session in twenty minutes?"  
"Damn," he cursed quietly. He had forgotten. He'd have to wait to speak with her. The flopped back down into his chair. God, what a mess.  
  
SATURDAY  
  
"Is everything ready to go for tonight?" Brian asked the head of his road crew.  
"Almost," James North, flipped through the papers on his clipboard. "Your little sister's assistance has been quite beneficial. Especially in facilitating communications between us and the Japanese. I forgot we required translators here."  
"James, your education is showing again," Brian grinned, teasing the man about his Cambridge education and the scientific career he'd left behind to manage Brian's road crew. "Quite frankly, I'd forgotten myself since I speak the language fluently and almost all of the family does. Mainly because Nikki married into a Japanese family and moved here."  
"You need to pass it up here," Tia's voice calling down to a roadie caught their attention.   
"It's a little high," Susan called back. "You won't be able to reach it even if I tried."  
"Do it anyway," the other girl grinned then climbed over the catwalk railing. Both Brian's and James's hearts lodged in their throats and they leapt to their feet even as Tia twined her legs around the railings. Then their hearts stopped as Tia went over backwards, hanging upside down from the railings. She looked over at them and winked as she took the cables that Susan handed up to her. She righted herself, grasping the top railing and tossed the cable over it, untwined her legs and pulled herself over the railing. She grinned down at their pale faces, "You two really need to relax more."  
She picked up the cables and began connecting them to the lighting system while Susan laughed at the looks on the men's faces, "She's right you know. You really need to relax," she cuffed James on his shoulder as she moved back to the controls they'd been setting up.  
"What would you know?" James's voice fluctuated as he brought his heart under control.  
"Really," Brian sank back onto the saw horse that he'd been sitting on.  
"I wouldn't have sued you if I'd fallen," Tia called down to them and laughed as they paled even further. "The catwalk's too low for me to hurt myself too much if I fell. And I know how to fall to minimized injuries anyway. You know that, Brian, you're the one who taught me. Geez Louise, you don't have a problem with me riding a motorcycle and doing martial arts, but when I do something like that . . . ."  
"I think it's a guy thing, Tia," Susan called back, grinning at the admonitory look James sent her. "You know, He-man protects the helpless female thing."  
"He-man had a sister, you know, She-ra. She kicked butt," Tia laughed down at them. "And his girlfriend, Teela, was a Captain of the guards, I think."  
"Wait, wasn't that her father?" Susan called back.  
"Could be," she answered, adjusting some wires which had become tangled. "Maybe she was a squad commander or something like that."  
James stared blankly at them during their conversation, "What the hell are they talking about?"  
"Cartoons, I think," Brian shook his head, exasperated. "I forgot about that one. It was her favorite for a time."  
"What cartoon?"  
"He-man and She-ra. Used to drive me crazy."  
"Gee, I wonder why."  
  
"Brian is going to kill you," Nancy Fisher stared at Tia, as she looked herself over in the mirror. "He'll never let you wear that to the opening."  
"Only if he finds out before we get there," Tia grinned over at her.  
The outfit in question currently adorned Tia and would've raised Yaten's temperature by a good ten degrees. A leather bra-top, with a plunging vee neckline, showed a great deal more cleavage than she'd thought she had. The rest of her torso was bare, with a gold chain around her waist. Skin-tight black pants hugged her legs, showing every curve and muscle underneath. They were tucked into thigh-high black leather boots, with a double row of straps around her leg above her knee, another set below her knee, and above and below her ankle. Her leather gloves echoed the design of her boots, double straps above her wrist and around her forearms.  
"And I really don't see what the problem with this outfit is anyway," Tia leaned forward peering at herself more closely. "I mean, some of the other women will be wearing outfits more revealing than this."  
"True," Nancy thought of the outfit hanging in her closet right now. "But the key word here is women. Not high-school girl. And to top that off, you're his sister, which turns him into an ogre as far you're concerned. His eyes are going to pop when he sees you wearing that."  
"There's only one guy's eyes I'm concerned about tonight. And I want his eyes to fall out when he sees me."  
"Oh-so," Nancy laughed, getting up off the bed and joined the girl, next to the mirror, "he's going to be there, is he? Well, you don't have to worry about that, my girl. His eyes are going to pop out of his head, I guarantee. Especially when he gets a load of your backside."  
"Does it really look that good?" Tia tried to look at it without the benefit of the mirror and Nancy let loose a peel of laughter.  
"Yes it does, and you know it!" Suddenly, Nancy gasped, backpedaling. She hit the edge of Tia's bed and fell back. Her back arched sharply, twice then she went slack.  
"Nancy!" Tia was beside her in an instant. "What is it? What did you see?"  
"I-I don't really know," Nancy sat up slowly with Tia's assistance. "It was a flood of images. Too many for me to really follow. Faces and a feeling of terror. I remember a monster, near the end. Three women. A boy. I think, they went by so fast. For some reason, though, they're really important. I need to try and remember them."  
Tia quickly stripped and donned regular clothes, "Not right now, you're not. And you know it won't come to you if you try too hard to remember. Come on," she helped Nancy to her feet. "I'm going to take you back to your room and you're going to rest before the opening. Relax and your brain will sort these things out."  
"Tia," Brian rushed to Nancy's side when he saw Tia supporting her. He put an arm around her, he asked, "what happened?"  
"Nancy had a vision," Tia opened the door for them.   
Brian wasn't surprised by the statement. All their family had accepted, long ago, Nancy's ability. They'd been surprised by it, at first, of course. Nancy's parents never told anyone that their daughter was psychic. Not because they thought they'd be ostracized because of it. But because they were leery of the attention it would bring on them. When Nancy had told her parents she wanted to go into law enforcement, they cautioned her about revealing her abilities to anyone lest it get back to her supervisors. When her parents died, leaving her in the care of Daniel MacKenzie, she kept the abilities from him. Until she'd had a vision in the middle of Sunday night dinner. And led them to the lost little boy she'd seen in her vision. The family promised to keep the secret to themselves and they had. And now that she was in the FBI, she'd had many visions, usually in connection with cases she was working on. But she never revealed her abilities to her colleagues so they just believed she was unusually lucky.  
"It disoriented her a little," she told him. "I was going to put her to bed."  
But, somehow, I think you'd prefer to do that yourself, brother, she smiled as Brian hovered closely over Nancy. And I think she'd prefer you to me anyway.  
"No, I'll take over from here," Brian told her.  
"You know," Nancy said, amusement making her voice quiver. "You two don't need to speak as if I weren't here."  
It was amusing in a way, watching her brother fuss over her grandfather's former ward. They both loved each other dearly. But neither one of them realized the other felt the same way they did. But mostly it was endearing, watching this romance unfold.  
And now it made Tia sigh. She wished, with all her heart, that her future was as sure as theirs.  
  
Continued in Chapter 3  



	3. Chapter 11-15

CATCH A SHOOTING STAR  
  
RATING:R  
  
BY:Jeanne Stumbaugh  
  
CHAPTER3  
  
DISCLAIMER:Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of their creator. It is not the intent of this author to profit from their use herein.  
  
Sorry, guys, but my email is down!!! You won't be able to reach me if you want to comment on my story for a little while anyway. My motherboard had gone south on me (Something about the way it communicates with my modem is messed up. "AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" to quote Lucy from Peanuts.) and it'll be a little while before I can either bypass the problem or, heaven forbid, replace the motherboard (Which will take even longer.). Anyway, if you really want to send something to me, I'm pretty sure that if you ask her really nicely, my sister, Michelle Harris here, will find some way of getting it to me.  
  
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:  
  
Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One  
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two  
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three  
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four  
Chapters 21 thru 25 are now Chapter Five  
Chapter 26 is the Chapter Six  
  
I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.  
  
  
  
PART ELEVEN  
  
Tia had been at the club for about twenty minutes when Yuichiro showed up. She stared at him for a moment and sighed. The suit he was wearing didn't fit him very well. It was a little too loose and the color didn't suit him very well at all. His hair was still shaggy and he hadn't shaved, his strong jaw line sprouted several days of stubble.  
'Oh boy,' Tia thought to herself.  
"Am I glad I asked you to come early, Yuichiro-san," she took his arm and steered him out of the club again.  
"Where are we going?" He caught the helmet she threw at him.  
"To my house," Tia shook her head. "You don't dress like this when you go home for dinner, do you?"  
"No, not really," he put the helmet on. "It's a little less formal. Why?"  
"You bought this years ago with the idea that this will be your all-purpose good suit, right?"  
"Well, yes."  
"Oh, boy."  
  
Tia went into the main house shouting for her brother, Joshua. He put his head around the kitchen door, "What do you want now, Pipsqueak?"  
"C'mere. I need your help."  
His head disappeared, she heard him talking to someone in the kitchen. He reappeared a moment later, a curious expression on his face, "What's up?"  
"Come over here and stand next to Yuichiro-san for a moment. By the way, Yuichiro-san, this is my older brother, Joshua MacKenzie. Josh, this is Yuichiro Kumada-san," the two men exchanged handshakes and casual greetings as Joshua moved next to Yuichiro.  
"So, Pipsqueak," Joshua said, in English, a devilish light in his eyes "is this your-"  
She interrupted him before he could get anymore out, "No, he's not." She saw the laughing light in Yuichiro's eyes, and she spoke to him in English, "You'll have to forgive my brother, sometimes he's like a bull in a china shop."   
Yuichiro laughed, tossing his hair out of his eyes and spoke in perfect, lightly accented English, "Oh, that's all right. I think I understand where he's coming from. Doing a little field work for your family?" this last was directed at a slightly chagrined Joshua.   
"Uh, well, for the men anyway."  
"Pray for me, Yuichiro-san, I'm related to these men," she clapped a hand over her forehead as he laughed. "And I was right. You and Josh are about the same size and the exact same coloring. I'm going to borrow some of your clothes," this she said to Joshua.  
"Borrow? Hey!" Joshua charged after her as she dragged Yuichiro towards the guest room. "Why?!"  
She stopped and pointed at Yuichiro, "This is his good suit. He was going to wear it at the opening. And a girl he really likes is going to be there," she glared at her brother, expectantly.  
"Oy vey. You're right," it was Joshua who took Yuichiro's arm this time. "He needs to borrow my clothes. His good suit? Ye gods."  
"You know, I really wish you two wouldn't talk about me as if I weren't here," Yuichiro murmured quietly.  
Tia looked at him and grinned, "Sorry, don't mind us, we're just naturally bossy. Way worse than Rei-chan. Anyway, I think you'll like what you're gonna wear anyway. After Takumi-san, Joshua has the best taste in clothes out of all my male relatives."  
Joshua grinned opening the door to the guest room, "I spend more on clothes than most people pay for basic needs."  
"And has more suitcases than you can carry at one time," Tia laughed and dodged as Joshua picked up a pillow and threw it at her. "In this case, it was fortuitous. And you know, we really need to do something about your hair. No, we won't cut it off," she laughed at the alarmed look he'd tossed her way. "Although, that would be interesting. . . . Oh, and we need to get you shaved."  
"He can use my electric," Joshua said from the depths of the closet. "The hair's gonna be a little harder," his head came around the closet door and he stared at Yuichiro for a moment. "It's a good thing it's so long."  
"Is this thing charged?" Tia had emerged from the bathroom, holding out his electric razor.  
"Should be. Turn it on," Joshua was back in the closet. "Is the light on the bottom green or red?"  
"Green. So it's charged," she tossed the thing at Yuichiro, who caught it deftly. "Get to buzzin', my boy. While we decide on what you should wear."  
Tia and Joshua were in a deep discussion as to which color would be best for Yuichiro came back out of the bathroom. Tia glanced up, looked back at her brother mouth open to say something to Joshua, then left it open as she looked back at the other man. "Move your hair out of the way," she commanded. When he did, she gasped, "Why the heck do you hide that face? Geez, it's enough to put the latest superstar to shame," she turned back to her brother, fanning her face with her hand. "What do you think? The blue or the gray?"  
"The gray," Joshua was squinting at the other man. "Or, what about the green?"  
"The gray," she stated, firmly. "No tie. But what kind of shirt?"  
"The tuxedo shirt?"  
"Huh-uh," she frowned, going into the closet. "Did you bring any of your poet shirts? Oh, yeah, here we go. We're going to need a cravat pin and cufflinks."  
"Uh," Yuichiro eyed the stark-white shirt she was holding, "I don't know. A white shirt is one thing, but ruffles at the collar and cuff?" Visions of Austin Powers made him shudder.  
"It's a cravat, silly," Tia laughed. "Trust me, you'll look scrumptious. Oh, come on. Don't look so uncertain."  
"You shouldn't be, you know," Joshua grinned, giving his sister the jeweled cravat pin and cufflinks that went with the shirt. "She's usually a great judge of style. Usually."  
She grinned, "You're still trying to hold that against me, are you? I was a kid then, you know."  
He shot her a dirty look, "You're still a kid. But, thank god you've improved a little bit," he looked over at Yuichiro and shook his head. "I still can't believe she thought my cat needed a black hair dye job. And then, when Bella got away from her she decided she'd look good with  
black hair," he shuddered as he remembered how badly she'd looked. "Okay, my man, take off your coat and shirt, then go stick your head under the shower. Your hair's gotta be wet for this to work. Squeeze off the excess when you're through."  
Once Yuichiro had taken off his shirt, Joshua caught Tia eyeing the other man's torso in admiration, "Tia, will you knock that out? Doesn't he already have a girlfriend?"  
Tia grinned at the blush that spread over Yuichiro's face and the pink tinge in her brother's cheeks, "Oh, relax, will you? He's got a great body, after all. There's nothing wrong with looking, for crying out loud," she laughed at the choking noises her brother was making. "Yuichiro-san, would you please go into the bathroom, before my brother has a coronary?"  
Yuichiro grinned as he disappeared into the bathroom and Joshua embarked on a whispered argument with his sister.  
  
"You did it," there was awe in Tia's voice. "I don't believe it. Oh, god, Rei is gonna trip."  
Yuichiro stared at the reflection in the mirror, hardly recognizing the man staring out at him. His good suit had been replaced by the dark, stone gray suit and the poet's shirt stood out starkly from the suit and the deep red glowed from the cravat pin. The ruffles at his wrists weren't as nearly as overwhelming as he'd thought and the cravat actually enhanced the line of his jaw.  
The most startling part of it was his face. His hair had been slicked back with a judicious amount of gel, exposing the clean lines of his face. Wickedly curved eyebrows arched over his eyes and the bold lines of his cheekbones giving him a sharper edged face than most Japanese men enjoyed.   
"You really did it!" Tia gave a triumphant laugh. "I'm impressed, Josh. Very impressed."  
"Of course you are," Joshua sniffed, sticking his nose in the air, and almost fell over when Tia pushed him, a 'oh-please-will-you-get-real' look on her face. "Well, it didn't take much. He had a pretty good face under all that hair."  
"There you go again," Yuichiro grinned, "talking about me like I wasn't here. How do you know so much about this anyway? Are you some sort of image consultant?"  
"Not hardly," Tia laughed. "He's in the ATF. That's the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It's a law enforcement branch that deal in those areas. The reason he knows this stuff is various family members have been in the entertainment industry for as far back as any of our family records go, which is several hundred years. We grew up with it, four of our aunts and uncles are actors and six of our cousins are musicians and actors, and seven of our brothers and sisters are in the business or work in related fields. When you're around the business that much, particularly with our oldest brother, Brian, being such a success, you're bound to pick up these things."  
She stared at his reflection in the mirror in satisfaction, "Oh, yes. This will do quite well. Josh, you can help me with this next bit, too. Now, Yuichiro-san, this is what you're going to do tonight. . . ."  
  
Ten minutes before the doors would be opened, one of Brian's vocalists dropped a bomb on her.  
"He wants me to sing?" She stared, gape-mouthed at Cecilia Bronson. "You're kidding."  
"Actually, he said it wasn't a request," Cecilia grinned, adjusting the jacket on her outfit. She caught the look on the girl's face. "What is it?"  
"I was hoping," Tia shook her head, "to get out of that."  
"Why?" Cecilia was truly puzzled until the girl shrugged off her coat. "Oohhh. . .Brian's gonna kill you. With all that skin showing. And such tight pants . . . ."  
"Yeah, I know," Tia sat down hard, sighing. "But, I'd hoped that maybe I could avoid it until maybe sometime way later. Like after the party. This way, he'll kill me right after we get off stage."  
"Well," Cecilia grinned, her eyes twinkling, "tell you what, I'll talk to Barbara and we'll see what we can do to distract him for a while, so you can make your getaway."  
"Oh, would you? There's a guy I want to see before I die."  
"Oh, I see," Cecilia's grin went wicked. "Is that why you wore that?"  
"Ah, well, yes," Hoping to deflect the woman's interest she changed the subject. "So, what are the songs you're going to be singing tonight?"  
Cecilia's eyes danced at the all-too-obvious change in subject, "Well, we didn't have a set thing, but maybe we could make up something. . . ."  
  
"Just relax, man," Joshua laughed, slapping the tense Yuichiro on his shoulder. "She's gonna flip when she sees you. Just remember what we told you."  
"Just remember what you told me," he nodded his head. Then jumped as if he'd grabbed a live electric wire, "Yeegh! There she is!"  
"Huh, where?" Joshua asked, craning his neck to look at the very large group of women walking through the press of reporters, curious about the girl who could make him react that way. "Which one, man?"  
"The one in the red dress," then suddenly Yuichiro's voice changed. "The one in the VERY SHORT RED DRESS. I'm going to kill her."  
Joshua laughed out loud as he looked at the girl, "Yes, it is very short. Very, very short. This girl is in high school? I don't--," he stopped short, a sort of reverent sigh escaping his voice. "Who is that?"  
"Who?" Yuichiro dragged his gaze from Rei and her short red dress.  
"The tall one," Joshua breathed. "With the pony tail. Next to your Rei."  
"Oh, that's Makoto-chan," Yuichiro stared at Joshua for a moment, a grin breaking out on his face. "Can you handle her?"  
"What do you mean 'handle her'?" Joshua's eyebrow rose, but he didn't take his eyes from her.  
"She's a one of those strong, independent types," Yuichiro clapped him on the back. "And a great martial artist to boot."  
"Oh, good, then we have something in common," Joshua reluctantly dragged his gaze away from Makoto. "Come on, let's go. You remember the plan, right? I'd better stick close to you, though, to make sure your brain doesn't dribble out of your ears when you see her."  
"Uh-huh," the other man grinned. "I see an ulterior motive here. You want me to introduce you to Makoto-chan."  
"That, too," Joshua admitted, so unabashedly Yuichiro had to laugh. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink."  
"I thought they were free for the party."  
"That was a figure of speech."  
  
"Who are you looking for Rei-chan?" Usagi noticed her friend's gaze sweeping across the crowded club.  
Rei shook her head. She didn't want to admit that she was looking for Yuichiro. He said he'd be there and she'd seen him leaving the Temple in his suit. But looking around now, she didn't see him. She thought she'd be able to spot that familiar suit, "No one."  
"Look at all the cool guys," Minako breathed, her head whirling with the possibilities. Then she let out a muffled shriek, "Look! Look! That's Akira Shiro!"  
"What! Where?" Usagi spun around, looking in the direction Minako was pointing. "Cool! And look who's with him! Keiko Ito," they were, of course, referring to two idols. They stared after the two with stars in their eyes.  
"Hi, girls," Nikki came up behind them, startling the girls greatly. "Where are the others?"  
"Others?" Minako glanced around, noticing for the first time that Haruka, Michiru and Tetsuna were nowhere to be found. "Huh, they're gone."  
"Well, guess it's their loss," Nikki looked up then waved someone over. "Let me introduce you to some friends of mine. "Keiko-san, Akira-san. Come and meet my sister's friends. I think they're big fans of yours."  
The general conversation was interrupted by loud screams coming through the entrance. They all turned to see three boys standing comfortably in the spotlight. The Three Lights had arrived.  
Seiya swept the room with a glance, "There are the girls."  
Yaten glanced over their way, "Hey, Seiya, I thought you said only the best of the brightest were invited. What are they doing here?"  
Seiya hid a grin, "See that woman with them? Her brother owns the club and she knows the girls."  
"And how exactly does she know them?" then his mind leapt to the obvious conclusion. "Oh."  
"Hmm. Now, where is she anyway?" Seiya murmured to himself, peering around the club.  
"Where is who?" Taiki, still completely in the dark about this, demanded.  
"Tia-kun," Seiya answered absently. "Her brother owns the club."  
"I don't see her," Taiki joined the search. "Maybe she's backstage."  
"Come on," Yaten, exasperated, swept past the two of them. "The girls probably know where she is."  
Seiya and Taiki grinned at each other behind his back then followed him to where the girls were standing. They greeted their fellow idols then moved into general conversation. Yaten continuously stole glances around the club, searching for Tia. Seiya, knowing full well he  
was doing it, decided to put him out of his misery.   
"So," Seiya looked up at the ceiling, striving for a casual air, "where's Tia-kun? I thought she'd be here."  
While the idols merely looked puzzled and Nikki murmured and explanation, and the girls shook their heads, saying that they didn't know. Nikki spoke up, "She's backstage. Brian asked her to sing tonight."  
"She can sing?" Seiya sounded surprised.  
"We all can," Nikki winked at him. "With this family, are you surprised?"  
"I'm not," Yaten shook his head, remembering the CD. "She's got a powerful voice."  
"You should know," Seiya murmured behind him.  
"Exactly what does that mean?" he snapped, rounding on him.  
"Oh, nothing," Seiya threw up his hands in surrender.  
"My, you're a fiery one aren't you?" a new voice, laced with amusement came from behind him. They turned to find an older couple, the man in a stylish, dark suit, and the woman in full Marine dress uniform. "Nikki, dear, please introduce us."  
"Grandmother," Nikki grinned at the looks on the girls faces and the pale cast that Yaten suddenly took on. She knew very well who Yaten was, Tia had confessed everything to her and the other women in the family. And, of course, to her grandfather. Her grin got wider as she  
remembered the argument which followed the girl's confession.   
She introduced the girls to her grandparents, ending with Yaten. "So," Violet MacKenzie took Yaten's hand, "these are my Tia's friends." She smiled down at Yaten, since she was a full four inches taller than he, "I'm very pleased to meet you."  
Yaten had the feeling that there was a double meaning to that last sentence which was meant for him alone. When he looked straight into her eyes, the same deep, smoky amethyst as her granddaughter's, he saw that he was right. He had the sudden sinking feeling that Tia had told her grandmother everything. Even as that hit him, an amused knowing glint came into those amethyst depths and he nearly groaned when he realized that she had.  
  
"Excuse me, Kurasuma-san," Sailor Aluminum Siren murmured in her characteristic soft voice. "But what are we doing here? I thought we were going after that police detective," this last was followed by a crunch, as she bit into a cookie.  
"We are. I couldn't talk to his wife today because she wasn't in the office. They said she wasn't going to come in today because she was helping with this. I figured since she was helping with this then her husband would also be here," Sailor Lead Crow saw what Sailor Aluminum Siren was doing and snatched the cookie from her. "Is eating all you ever think of doing? We're supposed to be working here!"  
"I'm sorry," Siren was genuinely contrite, lowering her eyes in submission. "It's just I'm getting nervous, and when I get nervous I get hungry."  
Lead Crow's blood pressure rose ten points, then she sighed in resignation.  
  
"Come on, Tia," Brian called through the dressing room door, "it's show time."  
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Tia turned to Cecilia and Barbara. "Okay, let's go. You drag Brian away and onto the stage and I'll come in a minute."  
"You got it," Barbara grinned. "But I get to watch him kill you afterwards."  
Tia groaned good naturedly, "Some friend you are."  
She hid partly behind the door when they threw it open, "Come on, Brian let's go."  
"But, Tia--," Brian craned his neck but was interrupted by Cecilia.  
"Tia, will be there in a minute. She had to adjust her top and you can't do it on the fly, if you know what I mean," Cecilia fought to keep her voice level and her face relatively straight.  
"I'll be out in a minute," Tia called from behind the door. "You'd better get going."  
"Okay, but you'd better be out there in time for the first song," he called as his backup singers dragged him away. "You know, girls, I can walk very well on my own."  
"Well, you could've fooled me, the way you were dragging your heels," Barbara let go of his arms. "Get moving, O fearless leader."  
"Man, they way you guys order me around," he rolled his eyes. "One wonders exactly who signs the checks around here."  
"Better watch your attitude," Cecilia rolled her eyes back at him. "Or I'll tell Nancy you're being mean to us."  
That shut him up right quick. The last time Nancy scolded him, he turned into a remorseful puddle at her feet. There was no way in Hades that he was going to be reduced to that in front of an audience.  
A few minutes later, he had his guitar slung over his shoulder and he looked around, "Where is she?"  
"Don't worry, she'll be here," Cecilia got behind him and shoved him out onto the stage. "Just get out there."  
Brian cursed under his breath, then assuming his professional face, he moved out onto the stage, stopping only to allow his eyes to the sudden, glaring shine of the spotlight. Then the adrenaline rush he always got when he performed hit him and a huge smile split his face. And he strode out to the microphone, "Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the party! I'd like . . . ."  
  
Yaten and the others looked up when the lights in the club dimmed suddenly then were drawn to the stage as the spotlight hit the man standing there. He recognized the man from the CD case from Tia's house. He watched the man change into the star he was and was speaking  
to the mostly Caucasian audience in English. He notice many of the English-speakers translating for the Japanese speakers. But most of them knew English and he knew that the man up on stage knew that also.  
While the man was greeting the crowd, the band members and the background vocalists were moving onto stage and taking up their positions. Seiya turned to Nikki, "I thought Tia-kun was going to be singing tonight?"  
"Yes, where is she?" Usagi asked.  
  
Where she was was peeping around the curtains backstage. She jumped nearly a mile high when someone hissed, "Tia! You're supposed to be onstage. Here!"  
That someone was Susan, who shoved a headset microphone into her hands. When the girl had put it on, the roadie shoved her out on stage. She skidded to a halt just outside the circle of the spotlight. She gulped nervously, scanning the crowd. Her gaze riveted on Yaten, who stood scanning the stage. Her nervousness evaporated and she straightened proudly. Taking a deep breath, she strode out into the bright spotlight.  
  
  
  
PART TWELVE  
  
Yaten felt his heart go into overdrive when Tia strode into the spotlight. The temperature in the room seemed to go up ten degrees and he felt as if all the air had been forcibly expelled from his lungs.  
Then he noticed the expression on Akira Shiro's face. His glance became a glare, palpable enough that Akira turned and caught it. A slightly sheepish expression crossed the other's face as he realized the message the other was sending him. Back off, she's mine.  
He had the idea that maybe other men were reacting the same way he was. But there wasn't really anything he could do while she was up on the stage. He heard her brother pause in his speech as he caught sight of his sister. He made a slight choking noise over the microphone before recalling himself sharply and continuing his greeting speech. Yaten empathized with the man completely. He was going to kill her if her brother didn't do it for him. He felt the same outrage he'd felt when he'd caught Taiki gaping at her when she'd shown up at the apartment the day they'd made love. That nobody should see so much of her skin but him.  
"There she is," Usagi cheered when she spotted the other girl. "Doesn't she look cool?"  
"I'm going to kill that girl!" They heard her grandfather mutter to his wife. "Look at her!"  
"Danny, boy," Violet murmured back, "you are such an old fuddy-duddy. She's perfectly presentable."  
"She's not! Good lord, she's about to fall out of that top! And what did she do, paint on those pants!?!"  
"My love, turn around and look at Nancy."  
Daniel did so and they heard him gasp, "There's another one I'm going to kill. There's hardly any fabric on that thing to cover her,"  
"Now, my dear, turn around and look at the woman standing next to our second oldest grandson," now there was an edge to Violet's voice.  
When he did, he eyes widened to the size of saucers, "Vi, that woman doesn't have any clothes on."  
Nikki stifled her laughter, "Actually, Paw-paw. Those are considered clothes."  
"All I see are strings of beads, and she only has them over her front side."  
"Well, actually," Nikki was squinting at her brother, laughter in her voice, "she's also got Lawrence's drool all over her chest, too."  
"That doesn't count."  
  
Everything was going smoothly, despite Brian's obvious disapproval over what his younger sister was wearing, he was after all a consummate professional. And living under the spotlight like he did, he was able to maintain control. The last thing he needed on his rap sheet  
was a starring role in one of the newsstand tabloids.  
The music was loud and the crowd was a mix of the Who's Who, children and friends and family. The dance floor was packed. And the girls found themselves, after the initial dance, the center of a great deal of male attention. They were watched over by Nikki and the rest of her clan, the men intercepting any unacceptable partners. After all, it was their necks if one of Tia's friends was manhandled or harassed in any way. They knew this from personal experience; their sister could hold a grudge like nobody's business.  
Makoto was, to her delight, singled out almost exclusively by Tia's older brother, Joshua. She delighted him by being such a wonderful dancer and by being even prettier up close than from a distance.  
'Oh, god, Tia's gonna kill me,' that thought kept rolling through his brain each time he danced with her. That is, when other thoughts, decidedly wicked thoughts, weren't zinging through his brain.  
There was only one thing that distracted him. Yuichiro. The man was having a great deal of difficulty working up his courage to dance with Rei. Every time someone else managed to get a dance out Makoto, he would go over and encourage Yuichiro. Trying to nudge him into going over and dancing with Rei. But every time he would get some modicum of courage, he's start over and end up dancing with another girl. It was enough to make a man scream.   
"All right, that does it," Joshua grabbed the other man's arm and began dragging him through the crowd. "Look, you want to dance with her? You gotta ask. And this time," he scowled at another young pretty thing who was heading their way, "you are not going to get distracted. Excuse me, miss," of course, he wasn't rude to the girl, but he wasn't going to be deterred. They made their way around the crowd of people and was near the group Rei was in when Joshua stopped and straightened, "Now, straighten up and ask her." He caught the look the Yuichiro had on his face, "Don't even think about it. If you don't ask her, I'll ask her for you.   
Now go on," he shoved Yuichiro hard enough that he almost stumbled headlong into the group.  
And, of course, this got the girl's attention right away. Yuichiro's cheeks were red with embarrassment but he straightened, and firming his resolve, turned to Rei, "Rei-san, you know, I've been here since the club opened and you haven't even come over to say hello."  
No one was more shocked to hear Yuichiro's voice coming out of such a beautiful man than Rei was. Her mouth dropped open and she gaped for a moment. He reached out and gently closed her mouth with his finger under her chin. Then she was even more shocked when he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out onto the dance floor. He smiled down at her, his inherent confidence returning, "You owe me a dance, I believe."  
Brian chose at that moment to switch gears from fast to slow. As the soft strains of a classic guitar filled the air, Yuichiro's smile grew and he pulled Rei into a light embrace, his body moving smoothly to the music. Rei, by this time, was having a difficult time remembering to breathe, because every time she looked up into Yuichiro's face she forgot everything else. Yuichiro solved this problem for her by pulling her more fully in his arms, and rested his chin on top of her head. Their bodies brushed against each other as they danced, listening to Brian's voice rising above the music.  
  
From the day we first met, I've been so amazed by you.  
Never thought I'd feel this way, but I do.  
You're so wonderful  
And so incredible  
I want to lay in your arms forever  
  
Do you know how I'm feeling?  
Feeling things that I'm barely believing  
Never felt this kind of love before  
I didn't think my heart could soar  
Never want to lose you  
  
You're my sky, my star  
Can't believe we've come so far  
How can I express what you mean to me?  
Can I make you see  
Just how much I love you.  
  
When I look at you, can't help but stare  
It almost doesn't seem fair  
That you can be so wonderful  
You make my life so full  
You're the one thing I don't want to lose  
  
You take me to a higher place  
All I can see is your face  
You've been my heart  
Right from the very start  
You're my angel, my heart and soul.  
  
You're my sky, my star  
Can't believe we've come so far  
How can I express what you mean to me?  
Can I make you see  
Just how much I love you  
You're my sky, my star . . .  
  
Tia listened as her brother sang the song he wrote for Nancy, and felt a short, sharp pang of envy. Her eyes met Yaten's then she shut them, shut him out. She faced the very real possibility of going through life without him. Her fist clenched and her jaw, angrily. She cursed whatever fates had caused her to meet him.  
Then she sighed, shaking her head. No, that wasn't right. Better to have met him, than never having met him at all. Even if she had to lose him.  
  
He had seen her distress and was pained knowing it was his fault. If only he was just a normal person. If only he were free to love her. If only, if only . . . . His life seemed to be made up of "if only"'s.  
All he wanted was for her not to hurt anymore. And he couldn't give it to her. Which is why he had to stay away from her. Because he knew if he stayed near her, she'd get hurt even more. Maybe even killed. And he would die before letting that happen.  
He felt a hand descend on his shoulder and found himself face-to-face with Daniel MacKenzie. The old man smiled, saying, "You look like you have the weight of the world lying on your shoulders."  
"More like the fate of the galaxy," he muttered under his breath.  
"What was that?" Daniel tilted his head.  
"N-nothing. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."  
"Like my granddaughter?" Daniel grinned roguishly, drawing admiring eyes from several directions.  
"In part, yes," Yaten, uncomfortable discussing this with the older man, fidgeted under his gaze. "I just don't really know how to handle her."  
Daniel laughed, squeezing the boy's shoulder, "Welcome to the club, my boy. I've been with my Violet for nearly sixty years and I still don't know how to handle her."  
"And you never will, either," Violet's amused voice reached them. "Our way of keeping you men in line. Never forget that," she addressed this to Yaten. "Especially dealing with the women in this family."  
He didn't know what to say to that, so he asked, "Has-has Tia told you about-?"  
"To us, everything," Daniel stifled his laughter at the expression on the young man's face.  
"Everything?" Yaten choked out. "Everything as in. . . I mean, even that?"  
"Everything, even that," Violet smiled. "We don't approve of how you've handled this, but that goes without saying. I'm not saying that we weren't angry when we found out, but it's too late to do anything about it now. You were entirely too careless. I hope you're up to facing the consequences whatever they may be."  
"God, her brothers are going to kill me," Yaten's eyes darted around the room.  
"No they're not," Daniel laughed again. "The brothers don't know. My grandsons are good men, don't get me wrong, but they tend to go ballistic where their sisters are concerned. Her sisters, on the other hand, know everything. And they're going to keep a closer eye on you than you will like. They don't want to see Tia hurt, and if you do, there'll be hell to pay. And not only from her sisters," there was a hard look in Daniel's eye when he said this and Yaten knew that this was not a man to cross.  
"I'm afraid, sir," he turned to look up at the now girl singing on the stage, "that I have hurt her, already. There are things going on in my life right now, things I'm not at liberty to discuss with anyone, that may force me to hurt her even more. Circumstances may force me to push her away, just to keep her safe," he turned a solemn face to them. "That's all I can say. I am sorry. I hope that things will turn out well, but sometimes we have to make choices, hard ones, to keep those we care about safe and well. I may have to make that choice with your granddaughter. I hope not, but if I have to . . . ," he sighed, looking up at Tia again.  
Daniel knew all too well situations like that. And wondered how such a young man could be so burdened with such things. He put a hand to the boy's shoulder, "If you ever need to talk . . ."  
"Thank you," he shook his head. Then muttered, out of the blue, "I cannot believe she told you about that."  
Violet laughed, then clapped him on the shoulder, "Come on, I'll buy you a drink."  
"I thought they were free for the opening."  
"That was a figure of speech, young man, don't take everything so seriously."  
  
"Tia, I am going to kill you," Brian ground out a little later, when the band had stepped down, to let the a DJ continue providing the music. "What the hell you were you thinking wearing that thing? You're about to fall out of that top!"  
"I'm not, you nitwit," she snapped back. "That's what the straps are for! Good lord, Brian, half the other women in this club are wearing a lot less, and you have the nerve to freak out about this? Jeez. What am I supposed to wear? A gingham dress with a butterfly collar?"   
"Yes, that sounds just about right. When we get home I'm gonna tan your hide."  
"Oh-so. Now you listen to me," she poked him firmly in the chest, "I'm not going to sit here and take this. I'll wear what I want. I don't think it's indecent, so why should you?"  
"Because you're my sister, that's why! Dammit, you're going to be a target of every single trawler out there tonight."  
"I agree," a new voice interrupted. "Just what were you thinking, wearing that thing?"  
"Yaten," Tia growled at the newcomer. "Don't you dare start on me. As for you," she jabbed Brian in the chest again, "I don't appreciate being treated with your double standards."  
"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Brian demanded.  
"Oh, come on, Brian," Tia crossed her arms, "you're wongo over Nancy, and I don't see you freaking out over the outfit she's wearing tonight."  
"I haven't seen her, yet," Brian blushed, suddenly. "Wait, you know--?"  
"Of course I know, you ninny, you wear your heart on your sleeve when you're around her. Not that she's noticed, mind you, she'd too busy thinking you don't know she feels the same about you. Jeez, you two are pathetic sometimes," Tia recalled herself to the argument suddenly. "So, I don't see why you are spazzing out because I'm wearing this! She's wearing even less!"  
"What do you mean, even less?"  
"Less than this. There's a whole lot more fabric covering me than there is her. So I don't see why this is such a big deal."  
"God, I don't have the time to deal with this," Brian ran a hand through his hair. "Look you, I'll deal with you later. And don't think there isn't going to be hell to pay."  
Brian disappeared through the doorway to the club, leaving Tia and Yaten alone. They stared at each other, warily for a moment then Yaten demanded, "What the hell were you thinking, wearing that-that. . . "  
"Now wait just a cotton-picking minute," Tia rounded on him. "I can wear this if I want to."  
"I want you to change," his voice hardened.  
"You can want what you like, but like Mick Jagger said, you can't always get what you want," Tia turned away from him. "It's not up to you."  
"That is a ridiculous outfit you're wearing. Every guy who's on the prowl tonight is going to home in on you right away."  
"Yaten, if I don't want to go with someone, I'm not going to. It's not like I'm stupid, you know. I do know something of the way of the world," she shook her head.  
"I don't like the way you're dressed. It makes you too much of a temptation."  
"What is it with you and my brother? What, did you two go to Repression School together? Did you both take Disapproval 101?" She threw up her hands in exasperation.  
Yaten grabbed her by the arm, yanking her around to face him, "No one has the right to see so much of you but me. Got it? Me. No one else."  
She pulled her arm out of his grasp, eyes narrowed, "You should've thought of that when you left me that note, boy.   
"You don't own me, and you didn't want me. What do you care? Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going out and have a good time."  
She stalked away, opened the door to the club and didn't even have the grace to slam the door shut, merely closing it softly.  
  
Yaten emerged from the back five minutes later, having finally gotten his temper under control. He stood in front of the backstage door, eyes sweeping the room. He found Tia out in the middle of the dance floor with a tall, young black man, their bodies moving in perfect sync  
with each other and the music blaring out of the speakers.  
Yaten's eyes narrowed, sharply and his nostrils flared. The man was far too close to Tia. Far too close.  
He stalked purposely through the crowd and the dancers, paying close attention to the music as he did so. He reached them just as the song ended then stepped up behind the young man, tapping him on the shoulder. When the man turned, he said in perfect, lightly accented  
English, "I'm going to cut in. She promised me a dance. Do you mind?"  
The young man shook his head, edging away from Yaten, sensing something in the other's attitude and wasn't about to argue with him about it. He smiled and winked at Tia, "Thanks for the dance."  
Tia gave him a brilliant smile, "My pleasure." When the young man had disappeared into the crowd, she turned diamond-hard eyes on Yaten, "You know, you are an unmitigated bas--"  
She was cut off when Yaten put a finger to her lips, saying, "Now, now. This is a family gig. You need to watch your language around here."  
"Fine," she moved her mouth away from his finger. "You creep."  
The music started up at that moment. Tia recognized the opening notes and grinned, seeing a chance to give a little of the frustration she was feeling back to Yaten.  
Her body began following the rhythm, moving closer to him with each beat until she was brushing up against him. His eyes riveted to her mouth, as she began singing the lyrics to him. Each time she brushed up against him, she leaned in close and breathlessly sung a line into his ear. She began dancing around him, making sure she touched him lightly, smiling like a cat as she heard him suck in a breath. She pressed against his back, bringing her front flush against him, still dancing all the while. Her smile grew wider as she felt him tense against her. She sung another line into his ear and was rewarded with a hissing exhalation of his breath.  
With every verse, every line she sang, she leaned in close to him, singing to him. The look in her eyes blistering him with heat. When she wasn't singing and while she did, she touched him in some way, brushing up against him, running her nails down his back or his chest. He couldn't seem to catch his breath, because every time he took a breath, she touched him and it was like being punched in the gut, forcing the air out of his lungs. And every time he sucked in a breath and held it, he forgot to exhale because of her breath in his ear.  
When the song ended, she whirled to stalk away from him, but he grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him, "You're playing with fire, Tia."  
"I can handle it," she sneered at him. "What's the matter, can't you?"  
He gritted his teeth in anger. Then his attention was caught by the beat coming out of the speakers. And decided turnabout was fair play, "Oh, I can handle it all right." He pulled her up against him, then let the beat move him. He saw her eyes widen and he smiled like a shark, "The  
question is, when you aren't dishing it out, can you handle it?"  
He held her tightly against him, moving to the beat. He'd never heard the song before, but the music and the beat was just right. He felt her breath increase and slid his hands to her hips, then around her waist, splaying his hands across her bare back. He let his hands slide up and down her back, as he guided her in the dance. He buried his face in her neck, drawing her fragrance into his lungs. Now she was the one who was having problems with her breathing. Being this close to him, his arms around her, his smell in her nostrils. Her movements began matching his and her eyes drifted shut.  
They danced like that, so close, for too short a time before the song ended. She pulled away from him and they stared at each other, silently, for a moment. Then she stepped back, stopped, then took another step away from him. Then she whirled around and walked away from him. He didn't follow.  
  
  
PART THIRTEEN  
  
Takumi leaned against the side of the club and sighed. The club was a mad house. The club scene really wasn't his thing. Not that he never went, he liked the hectic energy found in clubs, but only in limited doses. He much preferred being at home, with his family.  
A sound to his right had him tensing for action. A silhouette appeared around the corner. The click of high heels sounded between the buildings as a woman walked toward him. Another woman joined the first. He relaxed, but only slightly. He didn't relax easily around strangers, even if they were women. His years in the police force had exposed him to exactly what women were capable of, and he didn't let down his guard unless he trusted those in his presence. As the women came closer, he saw that they were dressed as if they'd just come from an office somewhere. They were looking around, speaking with each other in low voices.  
He pushed away from the wall, clearing his throat, "Ladies, can I help you?"  
Both women jumped at the sound of his voice, having been unaware of his presence. They looked at each other a moment, then the second woman pushed the first woman forward, hissing, "Well, go on."  
The first one clutching at her purse, moved timidly forward, her eyes downcast. She stopped a short distance away, and bowed, saying very quietly, "I'm sorry. I'm trying to locate Takumi Miyake. Do you know where I might find him?"  
Takumi's eyebrows rose; they were looking for him, "I'm Miyake. How can I help you?"  
At this admission, the woman's head snapped up and her eyes drilled into him. That action raised his hackles. He eased back, "Who are you?"  
The woman smiled, her eyes gleaming in a predatory-like manner. Her left hand coming up to her neckline, grasping it and pulling upwards. With a magic twist, she disrobed, leaving her in a light blue negligee costume, "Hi!"  
The other woman, had done the same thing, coming up with a brown, feathery costume. She stood in the background, gloved arms folded, her eyes gleaming, "Get on with it, my Rival."   
The predatory light intensified in first woman's eyes and she smiled as she spoke, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Sailor Aluminum Siren."  
"And I'm Sailor Lead Crow," Lead Crow gave a little mocking bow as she introduced herself. "Take care of him, Siren."  
"What the hell do you want?" Takumi had no intention of backing down. Now that they'd revealed themselves, his adrenaline levels had skyrocketed and he was ready to fight.  
"I want your Star Seed," Aluminum Siren brought her arms up, bringing together the gold bracelets around her wrists, the backs of her hands toward Takumi.  
"Star Seed? What the--Ho!!!" Takumi dived out of the way as the jewels on the bracelets flashed and energy burst from each, lancing toward him.  
He rolled to his feet, got a bead on the energy bursts as they circled around toward him and rolled out of the way again. Regaining his feet, he waited until the last minute as they arched toward him, then dove out of the way again, straight for some wooden pallets leaning up against the side of the club. On his feet again, he tracked the energy bursts as they changed course toward him again. He pulled a pallet away from the wall, waited until a split second before the burst reached him and flattened to the ground. The energy bursts hit the pallet with explosive force, shattering the pallet and flinging splinters in every direction. The two women leapt clear of the flying debris.  
Immediately following impact, not even bothering waiting until the splinters had disbursed fully, Takumi was on his feet. A grimace of pain on his face, because of embedded splinters, he sprinted toward the women, who had surprised expressions on their faces. Apparently, none of their prey had ever retaliated against them before. They leapt back and out of the way.  
Which is what Takumi had been hoping for. He dove between them, hitting the ground in a roll, then rolled back to his feet out of the alley. He wasn't running away, just giving himself room to fight. He was at a disadvantage cornered in that alley.  
"This is much better," he smiled, grimly, pivoting to face the women who ran out of the alley behind him. "Come and get me, ladies."  
  
Tia blew out of the club's front door, and raised a hand to the bouncer, "Keichi-san, I'll be back soon."  
The massive Japanese man nodded, then scowled at the reporters who came rushing to see who'd just left the club. Tia wasn't in the mood to deal with the press, so she gave them a vague smile then breezed by them. She strode down the street and around the corner into a courtyard next to the club. She slipped into a shadowy alcove and sat down on a secluded  
stone bench.   
Left alone, she wrapped her arms around her waist and hung her head. A shudder rippled through her frame. Tears fell from her eyes, dampening the ground between her feet. She sucked in a breath, crying silently. She sat like that for a long time, no sound coming from her even as she cried her heart out.  
Eventually, her tears slowed, then stopped. The shudders convulsing her frame, slowed then ceased and she brought herself under control. She sat, staring at her fallen tears for long minutes, having come to one of the most gut wrenching conclusions in her life. A decision she knew she had to make, for the sake of her health and her sanity. But it didn't make the thought of giving up Yaten any less painful. It hurt worse than any pain she had felt before aside from the pain she felt over the loss of her parents. She leaned her head back against the wall, wishing she could scream out against the pain.  
She didn't notice the silent black shadow watching her from behind one of the pillars. But she uttered a low, startled exclamation when it materialized between her feet. Luna gave a low, meow, and it seemed as if the little cat understood she was hurting and was somehow trying to offer her some comfort. Luna leapt from the ground and into her lap and Tia put her arms around the little cat and gave her a watery smile, "Little kitty, are you trying to comfort me? I could use all the comfort I can get right now," she laughed, a slight edge of hysteria creeping into her voice. "I just made the smart decision to give up the love of my life. What a joke, huh? Or is the joke on me? I fell in love with a person, who for reasons unknown, can't love me back," she drew in a gasp, the raggedness of it painful to even listen to. "Ah, God, I don't even know if I'll be able to live through it. Can you die of a broken heart?"  
As she sat there, the silence was shattered by a muffled explosion. As she shot to her feet, Luna leapt from her arms. She didn't really pay attention to the cat's unusual behavior, as Luna became a black streak, racing straight towards the origin of the explosion. Tia shot out of the alcove, sprinting toward the sound, less than a split-second later. She skidded to a stop, catching sight of her brother-in-law as he sprawled headlong into the ground. Two pits in the ground near his feet were smoking, the explosion having torn up the ground. There were two women determinedly stalking Takumi, both seemed take a great deal of pleasure in doing so.   
She saw Takumi wince as he rose from the ground and she saw that his shirt was torn to shreds on one side and noticed that his shirt was with blood. Dried blood streaked down his cheek, the nape of his neck and several places down his back.  
Rage poured through her. Her protective instincts kicked in. Takumi was family and she would kill to protect her family. And if she started with these two women, all the better. She was in a violent mood and was itching to take it out on someone.  
The woman who was dressed in light blue, brought her arms up, there was a flash of light and energy raced toward Takumi. Tia cursed and raced for a manhole near the edge of the courtyard. With a tremendous amount of force, her foot came down on the edge of the manhole cover and it sprang from its place. Her hand closed around the edge and she pulled it up, the muscles in her arms and shoulders standing out prominently. The manhole cover was a good forty pounds but it seemed that she hefted it one-handed with ease. Then she was racing to her brother-in-law. Her heart nearly stopped as Takumi lost his footing, slamming to one knee.  
His head whipped up, tracking the energy bursts which were bearing down on him too quickly now for him to dodge. Then someone was there with him, a strong hand pushing down on his neck and a familiar voice snapping at him, "Get down!"  
Pressed against her, he felt the shock of impact and heard her hiss as the energy bursts hit something. He craned his neck, hoping that she hadn't taken the full brunt impact with her body. All he could see was that she was holding something up as a shield. Then she was talking to him  
again, "Run. Now. I'll distract these two witches. Get to the club and get help. Tell Keichi-san and Nancy and the brothers."  
"I can't--" his protest was interrupted by her, "Oh, yes you can. I'm hale and whole, while you are injured. You need to get back up. I can handle myself. NOW GO! Or the evil twins will get the both of us. Move it, move it, move it."  
And he did. He hated that he had to, but he was in more pain than he was letting on and he was nearly worn out. He did know that she could handle herself, he knew how much and how hard she trained. As he ran back to the club, he didn't see the small dark form which dogged his heels.  
Lead Crow moved toward Tia suddenly and Aluminum Siren tried to block Takumi's path. But Tia had other plans. Tia pivoted around on one foot, easily evading Lead Crow's feint. Still holding the manhole cover, she sprinted for Aluminum Siren, and knowing she wouldn't reach the woman in time on foot, spun on one foot and tossed the manhole cover like a discus. Suddenly, Aluminum Siren was very busy dodging the manhole cover. She leapt out of the way with a bare inch of space between her and the huge piece of flying metal death.  
She turned her attention to the girl who'd nearly killed her. Then she locked on the girl, like a hawk on its prey. The girl wasn't intimidated one whit. Siren felt Lead Crow glide to her back and smiled grimly. Then they launched themselves at the girl simultaneously.  
The girl exploded toward them, a sneer showing her teeth. She eluded Siren's outstretched claw simply by bending her side a little. Her arm hooked around Siren's throat in a choke hold. Using Siren for an anchor, and her own momentum, swung herself around, delivering a powerful kick to Lead Crow's stomach, sending her to the ground clutching at her stomach.  
Siren snarled, and, getting her feet under her, backpedaled furiously. Tia slammed into the wall behind them at full force, the breath hissing from her lungs and her grip loosening enough for Siren to twist free.  
Tia's foot came up, and pushed herself from the wall, straight at Siren with her forearm extended. She hit Siren in the neck, right under her chin, bearing them both to the ground. She swung her fist, ready to kill. Then her sight was obscured and she screamed as an electrical charge jolted through her.  
Lead Crow had recovered sooner than she'd hoped. Seeing her compatriot in dire need of assistance, she'd rushed forward. She hooked her hand over the girl's face and yanked her from Siren, simultaneously delivering an electrical shock to the girl with a great deal of pleasure.  
Tia hit the ground with a loud thud and rolled slowly, shakily to her feet. She was still reeling from the shock she just received, but she knew she couldn't let her guard down. She shook her head, trying it clear it. She focused on the two women across from her and her lips peeled back from her teeth in a feral snarl, "You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna get rid of me."  
Lead Crow grinned ferally, "Oh, really? I just might be up to the challenge."  
"Come on then. Let's see what you got."  
  
Seiya was talking to Taiki, taking some time out from the action in the club, when his heart jolted in his chest. Taiki felt it at the same time, his head snapping up and around. Yaten joined them a second later and they nodded to each other. Then they melted into the crowd and disappeared from the club.  
  
Takumi staggered into the club with the assistance of Keichi. He was fast becoming uncomfortably aware of all his injuries. Keichi leaned him against the nearest wall and went in search of his grandfather-in-law. When he found Daniel MacKenzie, he whispered a few succinct words into the older man's ear. Daniel's eyes became serious and he nodded his head. Keichi went in search of other members of the family and Daniel appraised his wife of the situation. Everyone else was having such a good time, they didn't really notice that all their hosts had disappeared from the main room of the club.  
  
"Hey, what's a cat doing in here?" A young woman asked, a little startled to see the feline making her way around the flying feet of the guests at the party.  
"Maybe it got in here by mistake," the young man she was with grinned. "Let's get it and put it out. It doesn't belong in a club."  
The young woman laughed, "This'll be fun."  
But try as they might, they couldn't get their hands on Luna. She gave them one contemptuous look and evaded their hands neatly. Then she disappeared into the crowd of dancers. The young man and woman were crouched down, almost on their knees trying to locate her, but the low lights and the dark shadows cast by the dancers, impeded their view and they lost her.  
Luna finally spotted Usagi, chatting with Rei and Minako. She sprinted over, and leapt directly into Usagi's startled arms, "You've got to hurry, Usagi! Tia is in some big trouble! You have to transform into Sailor Moon and save her!"  
  
Three women stood on top of the StarWay, and looked down on the scene below them. The shortest on of them started abruptly then leaned forward swiftly, "NO! Tia!"  
"What?!" the tallest one joined the other. "Oh, lord, it is her."  
"Well, what the hell do we do now?" The last joined the other two.  
"What the hell do you mean, what do we do now?" The first woman snapped, "We get out there and---"  
There was a flash down below and she got ready to jump down. But she noticed that the girl down below had dodged the energy bursts and was rolling this way and that avoiding them. They saw that she just wasn't rolling around aimlessly avoiding the energy bursts, but was making her way to the next building. The two women down below followed her at a more leisurely pace than their weapon.  
Tia hit one of the columns which lined the front walkway of the restaurant across the courtyard from the club. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes locking onto the circling energy bursts. She planted her right foot against the column behind her and tensed her whole body. The timing for this maneuver had to be perfect or she was toast. She tracked the bursts as they got closer.  
------Closer-------  
------Closer-------  
Now!  
She pushed away from the column less than a split second before the energy bursts hit the column. They struck, obliterating what they hit, sending debris outwards with explosive force. She allowed the force of the explosion carry her up and out, toward the women who had followed her, ignoring the sting of flying debris. She balled her hand into a fist, and bellowed her defiance.  
The woman in blue merely smile and raised her hand. A energy lanced out from her hand, hitting Tia squarely in her mid section, sending her flying backwards. She crashed into the restaurant wall, her head slamming into it with a sickening crack. She slid down, insensate.  
The woman in blue, took a step closer, "We only wanted Miyake. But, you're just as shining as he was. I'm sure someone like you has a Star Seed." Her arms came and the jewels on her bracelets flashed.  
"NO!!" The word came from several different directions at once.  
"SILENCE WALL."   
The woman in blue shouted in surprise as the extractor bursts exploded harmlessly against a force barrier. The woman's stare became a glare at the girl in a sailor uniform holding a fork-bladed javelin in front of her, maintaining the shield.  
"STAR SERIOUS LASER."  
"MARS FLAME SNIPER."  
"WORLD SHAKING."  
"FREEZE!!"  
The laser slammed into the woman in blue first, knocking her off her feet. The fire arrow missed, since the woman in blue had been knocked out of the line of fire, exploding through the restaurant window. The planet shaped energy weapon, aimed at the second woman, only clipped her in the shoulder because she'd stepped back in surprise as her compatriot was hit. Still, the blow was powerful enough to send her sprawling to the ground.  
Suddenly the courtyard was filled with people. Women in costumes and civilians. Tia's attackers had regained their feet and decided that a strategic retreat was definitely in order. A European-style phone booth appeared in a flash of light and both women stepped backwards into it. The women in blue's face assumed a vague pleasant cast and she bowed for all the world like she was bidding them goodbye from the office. Lead Crow was less polite, "I won't forgive this outrage. We'll be back to avenge this."  
The phone booth door shut with a snap and, with another bright flash, they were gone.  
The girl maintaining the force barrier dropped it as soon as they were gone. One of the women from the roof, the shortest one, rushed forward to check on Tia.   
Sailor Star Healer slid her hands gently under Tia's head and checked her injuries. She winced as her fingers found a huge lump on the back of the girl's head. After a thorough examination, it was determined that other than the lump, there were only bruises, scratches and some minor cuts. All things considered, Tia had come through this quite well.  
Sailor Star Healer breathed a sigh of relief, looking for all the world like the weight of the world had just slid off her shoulders. She looked up at Tia's anxious relatives and smiled, "It's okay. She's not seriously hurt. She'll be a little uncomfortable while the bruises heal, but other than that, I think she'll be all right."  
"Thank you, God," Daniel knelt down and brushed Tia's forehead with his fingers.  
Tia's eyelids twitched and she began regaining consciousness. She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes, blinking to focus her eyes. The first thing she saw was her anxious family members. The second, the assembled sailor soldiers. She groaned, mortified, "Oh no, not you again," she squinted, suddenly noticing that there were more of them than she'd met before, "God, how many of you are there?" Then she looked straight up, meeting Star Healer's eyes. She was silent for a long minute, then, "So . . . is it okay for me to get up or is there some reason I'm still laying here like this?"  
"I wouldn't know," Star Healer smiled down at the girl. "You seemed comfortable enough to me."  
She sat up slowly with Star Healer's help, and nearly fell back again as her head began spinning, "Oh, goodness gracious. Did someone get the number of the train that hit me?"  
She put her feet under her and pushed upwards. Star Healer steadied her on one side and Uranus moved to help her on the other. The two glanced at each other and it was a wonder that Tia didn't combust right there. Tia caught the animosity between the two and raised her hands,  
waving them in the women's faces. Caught off guard, the both looked down at her and she grinned, "Stop it. I'm afraid you'll set me on fire. Man, what's with you?"  
"She's an intruder from outside this star system," Uranus snapped, shortly. "My duty is to protect this system from foreign encroachments."  
"Oh," Tia swallowed that one quietly then looked at Star Healer. She stared for a long time, then sighed, shaking her head, "Did it ever occur to you, Uranus, that maybe she doesn't have any choice but to be here? That maybe, just maybe, she and her friends have nowhere else to go? Like they say, 'any port in a storm'," she shook her head again. "But I can't tell you what to think, can I? But you're a soldier, aren't you? And soldier's don't question anything, they just do their duty, right?"  
"Au contraire, my dear," Violet MacKenzie gave her a look that could've scalded her skin. "Soldiers can question everything. At least the good ones do."  
Tia sighed, exasperated, "Grandmother, I know that, and you know that. But somehow, I don't think she knows that," she jerked her thumb at Uranus. "If you can't relax, maybe you should take your tension somewhere less . . . volatile. I've got enough stress in my life without  
having to worry that you guys are going to rip each other's throats out."  
She sighed, her shoulders sagging suddenly, "You know, I don't care. I just don't care. I just want to go home," she waved away her family, shaking her head. "No. No. I can get one of the limos to take me home. You guys have got to stay here and support Brian. I'll be all right. I'm just so tired all of the sudden."  
Violet nodded at Keichi, who nodded before disappearing in search of one of the limousines. They waited in silence, her family members clustered about her and Star Healer, who'd refused to move aside for her family, receiving an odd look or two from them. Tia leaned against her, grateful for the support. The limo pulled into the courtyard and Star Healer, helped her into the backseat. After reassuring her family she'd be fine, she leaned back and allowed Keichi to close the door. Once she was alone, her head rolled to the side, forehead coming to rest on the tinted window.  
There was no one to see a solitary tear roll down her cheek.  
  
  
PART FOURTEEN  
  
Tia leaned against the door to her home, her eyes closed. When she opened them, her eyes were brilliant with tears. She pushed away from the door, scrubbing angrily at her eyes.  
Crying wasn't going to solve matters to any degree. She had to think, decide what she was going to do. After all, one doesn't discover that the love of your life is an extraterrestrial everyday. And one that transforms from boy to woman, to top things off.  
She crossed to the bathroom, and splashed water on her face. She knew that Yaten would be showing up soon and she wanted to be composed when facing him. She stared in the mirror a moment, then shook her head. In the ten minutes she waited for him to show, she'd decided what had to be done.  
When he came, he didn't even bother knocking, just bursting into the house, willy-nilly. The stared at each other silently for a long moment, her heart breaking and his soaring in relief.  
He sat down next to her, "I just heard there was an incident. I came as soon as I heard. Are you, are you all right?"  
"Incident," she gave a sort of watery laugh. "Well, that's one way of putting it. What did they tell you?"  
"Just that you were attacked."  
"My brother-in-law was attacked, not me. I just interceded, to my sorrow. I think I bit off more than I could chew," she let her head fall back, wincing as her sore head made contact with the couch, and stared at the ceiling. "I had to be rescued by the Sailor Soldiers."  
"From what the others were saying, even your brother-in-law, they said you did pretty well."  
"Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't feel like I did all that well. If I had, I would been standing, still, when the others came out."  
"Don't beat yourself up over it," he winced when he realized what he'd said. "I-I. . . . I didn't mean it like that . . . . Um, what I meant was--," his stuttering halted when Tia, half-amused at his earnestness, silenced him with her lips against his.  
When they broke away, she rested her forehead against his chin. He lifted her face to his and kissed her again. And again.  
She pulled away slightly, "This is-," he kissed her again, "-a mistake."  
"Maybe it is," their lips meshed again, "but it feels wonderful."  
"Mmm," she hummed against his mouth. The kiss deepened and it was a long time before either broke away again to breath. Without thinking about the consequences, he lifted her up against him and they disappeared into her room.  
  
Sometime later, Tia was sitting on her bed, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, her feet bare, and was combing her hair. She was in a pensive mood, quiet in movement and thought. She looked up when Yaten walked out of her bathroom.  
They stared at each other a long moment, before he moved to sit next to her. She sighed, and leaned her head against his shoulder. Quietly, she said, "I love you."  
He stared at her, stunned. She smiled slightly, "You had to know this was coming, you know, with what we've been doing."  
"But, I don't--," she silenced him with a finger over his lips.  
She smiled, sadly, "I know. You don't have to, you know. Just know that I love you. I had to be honest with you, and with myself. I know that nothing can come of it. But I believe I had to let you know," she was silent for a moment. "You were right, in that note, after all. It is best if we didn't get together again."  
He took her in his arms, holding her tightly in his embrace. His heart was breaking now, but knowing she was right, but a part of him screaming denial. He buried his face in her hair, whispering, "I'm so sorry."  
Her reply was softer than the sighing of the wind, "I'm not."  
  
  
PART FIFTEEN  
  
Takumi went searching for his wife. He found her in the kitchen, staring worriedly out the back window towards her sister's place, a cup of coffee suspended half-way to her lips. "Has she come out yet?"  
"No," she shook her head. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't be too worried. You know, I'd think they were still shook up after the event and all. But, this is my sister. The Crusader. She's made of stronger stuff. She's been through hell and back. This shouldn't be too hard for her to bounce back from."  
"Maybe she's a lot more sensitive now than she was back then," everyone in the family knew what Tia had done and gone through. "People change."  
"Not this way. Not Tia."  
"Well, maybe she doesn't want her family fussing unduly over her," he put his arms around his wife's waist, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at his bruises and newly healing cuts.  
"Oh, well maybe," Nikki hadn't thought of that. "Maybe, I ought to tell the others before they take it to their heads to go barging in there."  
"Oh, I think that's an excellent idea," he squeezed her again. "Your family does tend to overwhelm one, even if they're family."  
"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny."  
  
"What do you mean we shouldn't go and find out how she's doing?" Brian demanded, then protested as one of his sisters cuffed him in the back of the head.  
"Well, maybe she just doesn't want anyone to fuss over her, fool," Theresa, their oldest sister, rolled her eyes. "And admit it, you guys would smother her trying to find out if she's okay. And she wouldn't like that one bit."  
"We would not smother her," Joshua protested hotly before catching the look on his grandmother's face. "Well, maybe we would."  
"Why wouldn't we?" Michael demanded. "She's our sister, for crying out loud. And she was attacked!"  
"Point of fact," Takumi interrupted, calmly, "I was attacked, not Tia. She rescued me, if anyone would care to remember. And she seemed fine when she left last night. If just a little shook up. Just let her alone for today. When she's ready she'll let us know," his lips crooked, in an amused smile. "You guys can smother her then."  
  
On Monday, Tia almost didn't go to school, dreading facing Yaten. But then she grit her teeth, she'd been brave enough to tell him what she felt; she was brave enough to face him in the light of day.  
So she dressed for school and went across the courtyard to face her family. Her grandparents were in the kitchen, and Nikki and her children. Her grandmother rose immediately and enfolded Tia in her arms, hugging her tightly.  
Takumi wandered into the room and grinned, "Well, well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence."  
"I love you too, bro," she grinned right back at him. "I wanted breakfast and I didn't want to cook myself."  
"Uh huh," Nikki winked one eye. "So the only reason you showed your face was to use me as slave labor."  
"That's just about the size of it," she grinned again.  
"Well, we're glad to see you anyway," Violet's voice was tinged with laughter.  
"Gee, I hope so," she sat down next to her grandmother, and smiled at Takumi when he placed a cup of coffee in front of her. It felt good to be back in the fold of her family.   
  
"What is it with people today?" she shook her head, catching more than a few of her classmates giving her sly sidelong looks.  
She slipped behind Usagi and company and announced her presence to them, saying, "Good morning, everybody. Does anyone know why everyone is looking at me cross-eyed at me today?"  
The girls, to a man, jumped at least an inch off the floor when she'd spoken, she'd noticed with some amusement. She got the idea that maybe not many people got away with sneaking up on them. A germ of an idea formed in the back of her mind, and she let her mind just flow along with it.  
Mina had some faint color in her cheeks and she put her hand to the back of her head, "Weelll . . . . I might have mentioned what we heard going around the club Saturday night after you disappeared. They said that you were attacked and that Sailor Moon and the Sailor Soldiers  
rescued you."  
Tia shrugged a little, "Well, some of it's true, at least. My brother-in-law, Takumi, was attacked and I jumped in without thinking and got in over my head. Stupid of me, really, interfering without thinking or getting anyone to back me up. If Sailor Moon and the Sailor  
Soldiers hadn't interceded, I probably would've been toast, or some such."  
"I think it was incredibly brave of you," Minako said quietly.  
"Brave or stupid," Tia shrugged again. "I'm still trying to figure it out."  
"I think it was brave," Usagi announced suddenly, in such a decisive tone that Tia laughed and impulsively hugged her friend.  
"And that's that, I suppose," she grinned, shaking her head. "Well, I guess I'll just have take your word for it and leave it at that. Let's get to class shall we?"  
"So. . . ," Usagi slid a glance at her. "Did Yaten-kun stop by? He tore out of the club like he'd been blasted out of there with dynamite."  
Tia's jaw clenched, tightly, then she shrugged, "Yeah, he stopped by. To see if I was all right. No big deal."  
"Tia, is something wrong?"  
She sighed, shaking her head, "No, not really. Just one of those things that happen and you can't do anything about. It'll work itself out."  
Yaten and company were already in class when they got there. Taiki and Seiya came over, inquiring about her state of being. She smiled and assured them that she was fine. She flicked a glance over at Yaten, catching his eye. They nodded slightly to one another and then proceeded to ignore one another completely.  
  
And so it went for the next few months. They avoided one another when they could, but they had common friends and it was inevitable that they should come in contact one another in a social setting. When that happened, they ignored each other's presence as best they could.   
Their friends noticed the breech and wondered at it. And were concerned over it. Tia was less outgoing before, and some of the life seemed to have left her. Yaten, whose normal nature was essentially morose, became even more withdrawn. He had many a sleepless night  
since the incident at the club.  
  
Takumi was brooding in his study, when Nikki stuck her head around the door, "Penny for your thoughts."  
He looked up and smiled, "A yen; you're in Japan. Come in."  
"What is it?" She sat down on the corner of his desk.  
"I'm worried."  
"Tia?"  
"You, too?"  
"Mm," she nodded her head. "She hasn't been the same since the night of the opening."  
"She puts on a good front, I'll give you that," he put some fingers to his temple. "She completely fooled me for about a week. But something's happened."  
"Yes."  
Takumi glanced up at his wife's tone, "You know something."  
She nodded, "She fell in love. It didn't work out. Now she's heartbroken."  
"What?" he shook his head. "When did this happen?"  
"They'd only known each a few months. But she fell in love," she shook her head now. "And it wasn't some teenage thing, either. You could see it on her face. It was the real thing."  
"Then why-? You don't think that she's --?" he was half-off his seat with a deadly look on his face. "When I find out who he is--"  
Nikki put a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down. There is that possibility. But from what she's given me to understand . . . . I think she made the decision to break it off. She didn't tell me why. She will, someday, I think. We just have to give her time."  
"I don't like it."  
"No. Neither do I. But it's her decision."  
  
In the U.S.  
  
  
"What the hell is this?" Ronnie Collins muttered fiercely, stabbing at his computer keyboard. His eyes flew over the computer screen, the light from it throwing his features into an eerie kind of relief, giving him an almost satyrical look.  
As what he was reading became more clear, a shocked, almost fearful expression settled over his face. He reached for the telephone and punched numbers. As he listened to the phone ringing at the other end, he muttered into the receiver, "C'mon, c'mon, girl. Pick up the phone," he let it ring more than twenty times, then slammed the phone down into its cradle. Then dialed again, then cursed hard enough to paint the wall blue.  
"Damn it, girl, don't you know what an answering machine is?" he slammed out of his workroom, into his bedroom, grabbed a travel bag and started flinging clothes in it willy-nilly. He opened the drawer next to his bed and pawed through it, searching. He came up with a fairly new passport, which he put in the pocket of a leather briefcase he pulled from under his bed. Unzipping it, he checked on the condition of the laptop computer contained therein, making sure it was in working order.  
He stalked back into his workroom, logged into an airline's Internet site and booked a flight to Japan. He enabled his computer security systems and turned on the house security systems.  
Then he went to catch his flight.  
  
Tokyo  
  
"Hey, Tia," Usagi stared at her friend, "you don't look so good. Are you all right?"  
"Yeah, I think I might have the stomach flu or something," Tia looked a little green about the gills. "I've been a little nauseated for the past couple of days. I may be coming down with something."  
She was, but it wasn't what she thought.  
  
"Why hasn't my problem been taken care of?" the voice on the other end of the line was deadly quiet.  
"The shooter wants high exposure on this," said the man a cigarette poised near his mouth. "How can we get the point across if it's done quietly?"  
"Hmmm," the other paused to think it over. "Very well, but I want it taken care of by the end of the month, high profile or not. Understand? My patience is wearing thin."  
"I understand."  
  
  
Continued in Chapter 4  



	4. Chapter 16-20

CATCH A SHOOTING STAR  
  
RATING:R  
  
BY:Jeanne Stumbaugh  
  
CHAPTER 4  
  
DISCLAIMER:Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of their creator. It is not the intent of this author to profit from their use.  
  
Sorry, guys, but my email is down!!! You won't be able to reach me if you want to comment on my story for a little while anyway. My motherboard had gone south on me (Something about the way it communicates with my modem is messed up. "AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" to quote Lucy from Peanuts.) and it'll be a little while before I can either bypass the problem or, heaven forbid, replace the motherboard (Which will take even longer.). Anyway, if you really want to send something to me, I'm pretty sure that if you ask her really nicely, my sister, Michelle Harris here, will find some way of getting it to me.  
  
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:  
  
Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One  
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two  
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three  
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four  
Chapters 21 thru 25 are now Chapter Five  
Chapter 26 is the Chapter Six  
  
I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.  
  
Acknowledgments for the song "A Special King of Thing", from the With Love Original Soundtrack. Composed and Arranged by Taro Iwashiro. Lyrics by Mariza.   
  
  
PART SIXTEEN  
  
"Tia, come with us," Usagi snagged Tia's arm, pulling her along the school corridor.  
Her stomach protested weakly, but she swallowed past it as she asked, "Whoa, whoa. Come with you where?"  
"There's a new romantic adventure movie out this afternoon," Usagi grinned, a dazzling smile on her face. "Everyone's going."  
Tia laughed, and nodded her head, "Well, I haven't been to a movie in a while. Sounds like fun. Let me grab my things and I'll meet you out front."  
"All right!" Usagi jumped, her arm still looped with Tia's. The movement jarring Tia, and her stomach began sending more urgent signals to her brain.  
Check that, she thought, queasily. Meet you outside after I've gone to the restroom and thrown up.  
When she met Usagi and company outside, she stopped short. Usagi and Seiya were bantering between each other, Ami was arguing politely and quietly with Taiki over some theory or other and Makoto and Mina were talking to Yaten.  
Oh hell, she thought, sarcastically to her herself. This'll be fun.  
"So, you guys," she put an arm through Usagi's, "Usagi managed to rope you in, too?"  
"Ah, yeah. . . ," Seiya looked embarrassed about it. "Well, they said they needed escorts."  
"Kind of lopsided odds, don't you think? Two extra girls and all."  
"Talk to her," Seiya wagged a finger at Usagi. "It was her idea."  
"Well," Usagi laughed, "With six such beautiful girls, who knows what'll happen to us?"  
"Six?"  
"Rei's going to meet us on the way."  
"If you've had enough chit-chat," Yaten's voice was tense, "I suggest we get moving, if we want to make the movie on time."  
"Indeed," Taiki seconded the motion.  
"All right, let's go!" Usagi all but shouted.  
  
"Perfect," a tall, skinny man hissed. He had been staring at the group of young people across the street. When they left the school yard, walking in a leisurely fashion, he matched their speed and direction. He pulled a digital phone from his coat pocket and dialed a number. When it was answered, he spoke quietly into it for a few minutes, then hung up and continued shadowing the group. When they went into the theater, he smiled nastily, then pulled out his phone again. "Where are you? She's gone into the 10th Street District's Triplex. We got time to plan our move. Get over here fast as you can, I'll look around over here."  
The man had finished his once over of the area and was leaning against a phone booth when a silver van pulled up in front of him. The side door slid open and he climbed inside, saying, "All right, here's what we're going to do."  
The door slid shut and the van drove slowly down the street.   
  
Tia blinked against the glare of the sun as she and the others stepped out of the triplex. She took a moment for her eyes to adjust, then she trotted to catch up with the others.  
The movie hadn't been as bad as she thought it was going to be. She had deliberately chosen a seat as far away from Yaten as she could without removing herself from the group. She'd caught the worried glances that Usagi had cast her way, and the odd looks which passed  
between Seiya and Taiki. She'd shrugged, mentally, and settled herself more comfortably. The movie had been an American film with subtitles, which wasn't so bad, really, if she ignored the subtitles. But there had been some that had caught her eye, and when she'd read them, there were some very broad, to use the term loosely, interpretations and some total misses that had her giggling in the most inappropriate places. She grinned at the disapproving stares she received from the other people in the theater and from her friends. It'd been a great distraction from her morose thoughts of late.  
They were crossing the street when a movement to the right caught her attention. A young man, with an air of wildness about him, was making a beeline right for them. She didn't like the look in his eye and she felt an uneasy feeling settled into her belly. She broke into a lope, keeping one eye on the young man, and the other on her friends ahead of her.  
Suddenly, the young man pulled what looked like a .357 Magnum from his coat, and Tia's adrenaline level went through the roof. Her attention now was only for the gun in the man's hand. Then it shifted when he pointed the damned thing right at Yaten.  
"GUN!! HIT THE DECK!!" She bellowed, exploding into a sprint. Then leapt straight at Yaten, hands landing squarely on his shoulders, her momentum-driven weight forcing him to the ground. At that exact moment, there was a loud report even as everyone in the vicinity dove to the ground. Pain exploded into her awareness, more intense than anything she'd ever felt before.  
She wrapped her arms around Yaten's shoulders, then she knew no more.  
  
  
PART SEVENTEEN  
  
USA  
  
Nancy was sitting at her computer terminal, her fingers flying over the keys. The only light in her study was from the screen she was looking at. She frowned at the line of programming for a moment, muttered to herself then typed in a line. She ran the program, frowned again and went back into the program.  
Suddenly, pain exploded into her back, then her chest. She shot away from her desk, her head back and gasping as for breath.  
The pain was almost overwhelming, but she knew that it wasn't her own. And as suddenly as it came, the pain left her and she was herself once more. She sat for a moment, gasping, before lunging for the phone. No, the pain wasn't hers, but she knew whose it was, and she was determined to be there if needed.  
  
TOKYO  
  
After the gunshot, Makoto raised her head slightly, tracking the gunman's movements. He was grinning, maliciously, even as he was running away. She was up and after him, without thinking about the consequences. She sensed movement around her, but ignored it as she concentrated on catching up with the gunman. As soon as she was close enough she tackled him, sending both of them flying to the ground. She grunted as other bodies piled up on top of her and the gunman. She untangled herself from the pile of bodies, recognizing Seiya in the pile. There were two other men there as well, holding the gunman's arms to the ground while Seiya drove his knee squarely between the gunman's shoulder blades.  
Yaten eased out from under Tia's weight. He turned over and his gaze was immediately riveted, horrified, by the large red stain blossoming across the back of Tia's uniform, "Tia! NO!"   
Alerted by Yaten's cry, Ami fell to her knees next to them. She groped for the other girl's pulse and found it, and sighed in relief, "She's still alive, thank goodness. But, she won't be if she bleeds to death." She shouted over her shoulder, "Someone call for an ambulance."  
"We have to stop the bleeding," she muttered, putting her hands in the hole the bullet had created and ripped it wider. She started to put her hands over the wound but stopped when she saw that the blood was frothing out. As that hit her she gasped, "Oh my god." She grasped Tia's  
chin and tilted it towards her, and her breath hissed out as she saw that blood was bubbling from her mouth as well.   
Her head swivelled and she shouted at the crowd, "Does anyone here smoke? I need an unopened pack of cigarettes, now!"  
Four people came out of the crowd, extending unopened packs of cigarettes. Ami snatched a pack from one of them. Yaten stared at her as she feverishly pulled the plastic from the pack of cigarettes, demanding, "What the hell are you doing?"  
"From the way the blood is coming out her wound back here, I think her lung might be punctured. I've got to stop the leak."  
"What about . . . an exit wound?" Yaten asked hesitantly, his heart in his throat.  
Ami's eyes widened, "I didn't even think about that. We need to turn her over," she carefully covered the wound in the girl's back, pressing down hard on it. "Now, lift her up, you need to check for bleeding."  
Yaten lifted her up carefully, his hand running down her front, praying he wouldn't find anything at all. His prayer was answered, as he didn't find anything with his questing hand, no wound, no telltale wetness. He breathed a sigh of relief, "Nothing. I couldn't find anything."  
"Thank goodness for small favors," Ami's head swivelled at the sound of sirens. "Police. And an ambulance," she turned to Mina and Usagi. "Herd everyone out of the way. Make sure that the EMT's and the ambulance can get through to here."  
The two nodded and began clearing the way for the ambulance personnel. Rei and the others, having caught on to what the others were doing, and wanting to do something rather than nothing, began helping. Soon they had a pathway wide enough for both the police cars and ambulance to glide in. The EMT's swarmed around the fallen girl, and Ami relinquished her place gratefully. She stood away, totally unconscious of the blood staining her hands and clothes, only very grateful her part was over and that the real professionals were now doing  
their job. She wanted to be a doctor, true, but treating a friend was a lot harder than treating someone she didn't know.  
The police officers dispatched to the scene, placed a hand on Ami's shoulder, "Miss, can you tell me what happened?"  
"My friend was shot," Ami closed her eyes. "That man over there," she pointed at the now handcuffed gunman, "tried to shoot Yaten Kou, of the Three Lights. Tia noticed it first and jumped in front of the bullet to save him."  
"Tia?" The officer stiffened, as if he recognized the name, "Not Tia MacKenzie? She's related to Takumi Miyake?"  
"Yes."  
"Dear god!" The officer steered Ami to his police car. "Come on, I'll take you and your friends to the hospital."  
He got a towel from one of the EMT's and gave it to Ami to get herself cleaned up somewhat. Then he gathered the rest of the group together and arranged for the other police car to take the others to the hospital.  
  
The phone rang on Takumi's desk and he picked it up without glancing up from the report he was reading, "Miyake."  
The voice on the other end made his head snap up and he shot to his feet, shouting, "What? When? Where did they take her? I'll be there as soon as I can."  
He grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and trotted down the hall towards his chief's office. He had a low hurried conversation with the chief's secretary, who in turn picked up the phone, had a short conversation with the chief and then let him into the chief's office. Five minutes later, he was striding from the chief's office and from the precinct, a grim look on his face.  
  
The arrival of Tia's family created quite a stir at the hospital when they strode through the doors. Several of Tia's sisters and brothers had remained in Japan after the opening for an extended visit and they and their families, of course, made quite a group.   
Usagi and company were sitting in the waiting area, anxiously pacing or sitting nervously. The ones who were sitting, rose instantly when Tia's family entered. Ami advanced towards the family and Takumi went forward for the family, "What happened?"  
"As near as I can tell, it was a crazed fan," she replied, her brow crinkling. "The police didn't tell us much about the man who shot her. We were crossing the street after seeing a movie and this guy pulls a gun and points it at him," she pointed at Yaten. "Tia was the first one to see it; she shouted a warning and pushed him out of the way. But she jumped in front of the bullet and it hit her in the back."  
"Oh my god," Lia MacKenzie sank down onto a seat, a hand over her mouth. "And they caught him?"  
"She did," Taiki pointed at a grim Makoto. "If she hadn't tackled him, he would've gotten away."  
Makoto shook her head, "It wasn't just me, others helped. I couldn't just let him escape," her eyes went dark in anger. "He shot my friend."  
Takumi nodded his head, satisfied with that answer, "How long have they been working on her?"  
"Twenty minutes now," Ami answered him, and he noticed for the first time that she was covered in blood. She glanced down, when she noticed him staring, startled to realized that Tia's blood stained her clothing. "I was closest to her when she was shot. I know a lot about first aid, since I want to be a doctor. I must've gotten this on me when I was trying to stop the leak."  
"Leak . . . ?" Nikki's voice was weak.  
"The bullet punctured her lung," Ami told her gently. "I'd stopped the leak as best I could and was trying to stop the bleeding when the ambulance arrived."  
Takumi put a reassuring hand on her arm, "You probably made the difference. I thank you for your efforts," he accented this with a deep bow.  
"He's right, you know," Nikki said, placing a hand on her arm, while her brothers and sisters surrounded her. "And whatever happens, however this turns out, you're one of our own now."  
Other hands were placed over Nikki's, as her brothers and sisters showed their solidarity. And they did the only things they could do. Waited and prayed.  
News of the incident was all over the country five minutes after it happened. Ronnie was walking through Tokyo International Airport when news of the incident was broadcast over the televisions placed in various spots throughout the terminal. He stopped dead as a photo of Tia was splashed over the screen. He cursed when he realized he couldn't understand one word the reporter was saying. Casting about, he tapped the shoulder of a uniformed woman nearby.  
"Excuse me, Miss, do you understand English?" Ronnie asked, politely, because it was the way he was, despite the front he put on with his close friends.  
"Yes," the Japanese woman replied, a slight accent to her voice. "Was there something you needed, Sir?"  
"Well, can you tell me what they're saying on the television?" He pointed to the screen.  
"There was an assassination attempt on one of the Three Lights," she frowned at the screen for a moment. "A young woman, an exchange student from America, who is a classmate of his, saved him, by jumping in front him and taking the bullet for him. Apparently, she was taken to the 10th District Memorial Hospital where she is undergoing surgery," she put a hand to her mouth. "Oh, my. How terrible."  
Ronnie stifled his curses and thanked the woman, before tearing out of the terminal to find a taxi. There was some initial confusion as he told his taxi driver where he wanted to go. He had to get to the hospital to find out how Tia was. As he settled back for the ride, he prayed for the first time in years. Prayed that his friend was going to be all right, that she'd be hale  
and hearty again soon.  
  
"She's still alive," Ryu Sakamoto snapped, furious.  
"Not for long," the smoking man smiled nastily. "I've planted people in the hospital. She'll be dead before she has a chance to recover."  
"She'd better be, or you'll take her place."  
"As you will," the man bowed respectfully, careful to mask his sudden fear. When Ryu Sakamoto threatened you with death, it was fearful indeed. Because it was so much more than death, and because sometimes it something worse than death. And that was to be avoided at all costs.  
  
"You failed me," the smoking man was standing over a prostrate form. "That is unacceptable."  
The man sprawled at his feet, shuddered weakly in pain. The bruises and swollen parts of his face was evidence enough of his ill-use at the hands of the man standing over him. He protested weakly, "But I did what you said. I made the shot."  
"I paid you for a kill. But she's still alive," the other man snapped. "You have once chance to redeem yourself. She's at the 10th District Memorial Hospital. You will go there and finish the job you started."  
The beaten man nodded, pulling himself slowly and painfully to his feet, "I will not fail you again." He bowed as best he could and limped away.   
"See that you don't," the other man's voice was cold. "Or it will go the worse for you."  
And the beaten man left with the chill of fear under his skin.  
  
"Are you the family of Miss MacKenzie?" The doctor had to struggle with Tia's last name, but he got it out reasonably well. He surveyed the crowded waiting room, noticing there were an equal number of Japanese in with a large number of foreigners.  
A tall, very well-dressed Japanese man stood from his seat next to a beautiful black-haired woman, "I'm her brother-in-law, Takumi Miyake, and my wife, Nikki, her sister. What's her condition?"  
"I'm Doctor Yutaka Namura," the doctor opened his mouth again to speak, then looked at the group of youngsters standing to the side staring anxiously, "Maybe this would be best spoken just amongst family?"  
Takumi smiled, shaking his head, "As far as I'm concerned, they have every right to know how she is."  
The doctor nodded, "It went well. We've repaired the puncture without a hitch. Her vital signs remained strong during surgery and that's a good sign. She should recover well."  
It seemed as if almost all of the tension in the room dissipated with that news. Several of the couples embraced in relief, and not a few of the men had to sink down onto the nearest seat. Takumi felt a little giddy with relief himself and pulled Nikki into his arms, whispering to her, "Thank god, thank you god."  
Usagi and the rest shared smiles of intense relief. Yaten clenched his hands together to hide their trembling. He didn't attempt to stand since he knew that he hadn't the strength to do so, his relief was so great. At the same time, his heart was singing with such joy that it almost blotted everything else out. He closed his eyes, lowering his head and fought against tears.  
  
The first thing Tia became aware of was a cottony feel to her mouth. She swallowed a few times to try and rid herself of the feeling, but it persisted. Nothing for it but to wake up and do something about it. The next thing she became aware of was a pinching in her left arm, it didn't hurt exactly, but it wasn't really comfortable. Then there came a sound, and mechanical sort of beep which sounded at regular intervals; it really was quite annoying. Then she noticed the pain, a dull sort of pain which felt just a little worse every time she took a breath.  
She decided it would be all right to open her eyes. She blinked several times against the diffused lighting in the room. Her eyes focused on the ceiling. It wasn't an unusual sort of ceiling, she decided, just the kind they used in institutions or hospitals or office buildings. And it definitely wasn't the ceiling in her own home. She turned her head a fraction of an inch and noticed that she was wearing some sort of plastic thing on her face. She went cross-eyed staring down at it. She breathed in and felt the oxygen fill her lungs and realized that the plastic thing was an oxygen mask. She turned her head again looking around the room.  
Her gaze ran smack into wires and electrical equipment. She recognized a heart monitor and several other devices she didn't. Her eyes were drawn to tube which bisected the machines and ran her eyes up it, recognizing the IV drip. That explained the pinch in her left arm.  
Apparently, she was in a hospital. The reason for this escaped her for a moment. She struggled against the fog still clouding her mind. Then suddenly it dissipated and a rush of memories flooded in.  
"Ms. MacKenzie," a voice spoke from the other side of the room, "you're awake. Good."  
She turned and stared blankly at the man standing near the foot of her bed. She assumed he was a doctor of some kind, since he was wearing a long white lab coat, buttoned up with just his collar and tie showing, a stethoscope draped around his neck. He was looking over her chart,  
scribbling notes here and there.  
"You are a very lucky young woman," he commented, moving to her side, taking her wrist in his hand. He watched his watch for a moment, then he removed her oxygen mask, "The bullet punctured your lung. If your friend hadn't stopped the leak before you got to the hospital, you wouldn't be here right now."  
"Yaten? Is he all right?" She was more anxious to know about his well being than her own, but was startled at how very weak her voice sounded. It took great effort to talk.  
"Yaten?" he flashed a light into her eyes, one at a time. "Who's that?"  
"A boy," she blinked, trying to clear the spots from her vision. "Long silver hair, green eyes. He was the target."  
"Ah, I remember him," he was making more notes on her chart. "He's fine. Very worried about you, naturally. Didn't anyone ever tell you it could be detrimental to your health to jump in front of a bullet like that?"  
"Yeah," then she sighed, "but it would've been detrimental to my well-being if Yaten were dead. That was more important to me than anything in the world."  
The doctor looked at her sharply for a moment, "I see." He pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down on it, "I take it you think you're in love with him."  
"Doctor, I don't think I'm in love with him. I know I'm in love with him," she shook her head. "I think I know what you're thinking. You think that because I'm young that maybe I'm blowing things out of proportion. But, the thought of this world without him hurts so much I  
want to cry."  
"I see," the doctor said, leaning back in the chair, leaning his head against his hand. "I take it he's the father of the child you're carrying?" He saw her face spasm at the question, "You didn't know?"  
"I think I did, on some instinctive level," she sighed. "I knew there was a possibility, of course. The only times we were together, we were a lot foolish," she closed her eyes then opened them to stare for a moment at the ceiling before she spoke again. "Doctor, please promise me you will not tell anyone about this pregnancy."  
"I can't promise that, Miss MacKenzie," his voice was quiet but firm.  
But she was made of stronger stuff than the doctor, and her eyes snapped to his face, revealing the determination on her face, "You will, Doctor, or I will get up out of this hospital bed and leave here. I have my reasons for this, Doctor, and if you can't honor my will, then I'll leave. Somehow, I don't think that withholding this part of my condition is going to affect my recovery any."  
"You've just gotten out of surgery, young lady," the doctor exclaimed, in shock. "Do you really think you can just get up and waltz out of here?"  
"Watch me. Even if it means that I haul myself out of here by my fingernails, I will if you don't promise me to keep this pregnancy privileged information," the implacable look on her face told him she was telling the truth.  
"Very well, then," he sighed, shaking his head. "Against my better judgement I'll honor your wish."  
"The Hippocratic oath can be a real wench, can't it?" She smiled slightly, "You're sworn to do no harm. But its difficult to do when the patient's not cooperating, isn't it?"  
"Tell me about it," he said wryly.  
"I promise, doctor, to get better quickly so I can get out of your hair as soon as possible."  
"Not that quickly. I know I'm going to regret this, but you're going to need prenatal care, and since this is privileged information, I might as well provide you treatment for this."  
"Hoist on my own petard, eh, Doctor? I suppose I deserve this for being so stubborn."  
"Maybe."  
  
"Kurusuma-san!" Siren's normally vapid voice was breathless with excitement.  
"What is it now?" Kurusuma sighed in vexation. Really, dealing with Siren could get awfully wearing at times.  
"Look, isn't that the girl who interfered with us when we tried to gather the police detective's Star Seed?" Siren placed a newspaper on Kurusuma's desk and pointed to a picture of Tia near the center of the page.  
Kurusuma snatched up the paper, and glared at the girl smiling up from the page, "Yes, that's her. I never thought to see her again."  
"She was shot a few days ago, saving the life of one of those Three Lights. She's quite the life saver, that little girl. She shows some potential. Quite extraordinary really," Siren's voice became predatory. "I think she should be our next target."  
Kurusuma stared in shock at Siren, "You know, you actually have a very good idea there.  
"Yes, don't I?" There was a rather self-satisfied gleam in Siren's eye.  
  
  
  
PART EIGHTEEN  
  
Yaten pushed open the door to the private room that Tia's was assigned to. He bit his lip at the sight of her. She didn't look all that bad, truth to tell, but his guilt at being the cause of her injury tainted his view of her.  
It was a week since the incident and he'd avoided going to the hospital until today, when Taiki, Seiya and Usagi had all remonstrated him at various points in the day. The other girls didn't have to say anything, Usagi certainly spoke well enough for them. He winced, remembering some of the stern things the normally easy-going girl had hit him with.  
As if sensing him standing in the doorway, she opened her eyes and looked over at the door. She stared at him as if not believing he were there, then smiled, gently. She extended her hand to him and left it there. All the forgiveness in the world shown from her eyes, and it washed over him like a wave breaking over the bow of a ship. He reached out and took her hand, not even realizing that he'd crossed the room to her.  
"How are you feeling?" He sat on the edge of her bed, gingerly, careful not to jar her in any way.  
"Oh, much better," she smiled at him. "I don't think the hospital staff likes me too much right now, though. I'm not a very good patient," she giggled, then broke off with a wince.  
"Are you all right?" he clutched her hand tighter. "Should I call someone?"  
"No, don't call anyone," she replied, laughing a little. She winced again, "And don't make me laugh, it hurts."  
"I'm surprised they haven't banned Usagi from the room, then," he smiled gently at her.  
"Well, they have, actually, banned her from the room when Rei-chan is here. They get into such fights and I laugh so hard. . ."  
"I can imagine," he smiled, remembering. "I'm sorry I haven't come sooner."  
"Didn't have the guts, huh?" She grinned at him, "Betcha wouldn't have come, except Usagi probably laid down the law. You don't have to feel guilty, you know, I put myself into the line of that bullet. I could've let that guy shoot you, just stood there and yelled instead of doing something about it. But you probably know better than anyone else that I'm not built that way anymore."  
"Yes, I know. And it wasn't just Usagi that laid down the law."  
"Well, imagine that," her lips quirked. "You really need to get more sleep. Sleeplessness is going to ruin your image. We can't have that now can we?"  
He smiled, happy that her sense of humor was still alive and well and that she really didn't blame him for what happened, "I will, now that I know you're really all right."  
She shook her head sighing, "What, did you think they were killing me in here? Okay, I'll admit sometimes they go overboard with their poking and prodding. And one would think that they're a bunch of vampires with all the blood they seem to be taking from me . . . . But other than that," she shrugged, then winced slightly and muttered slightly, "Make a note of that, don't shrug for a while. Ow."  
Yaten laughed, leaned forward, putting his forehead to hers and whispered, "I'll tell you a secret."  
She stared into his eyes, so close to hers, "What?"  
"I love you."  
He felt her hand spasm in his and saw the shock in her violet eyes, "Remember it's a secret."  
She smiled, and said in a breathless little voice, "I understand." Then she laughed, "God, if I'd known that it'd take getting shot to wring that from you . . . ." She shook her head. "But isn't it best that we continue on with how we were?"  
He nodded sadly, "Yes, I'm afraid so."  
She sighed, putting her hand to his cheek, "Such a mess we've gotten ourselves in to."  
  
"We can't go in there now," Kurusama eased away from the door. "She's got company. We wait until she's alone."  
"Are you sure?" Siren was nibbling on a cookie, much to her partner's annoyance. "Maybe we should just go in and get her Star Seed."  
"Are you out of your mind?" Kurusama snatched the cookie from Siren's hand. "What if that bozo knows how to fight like she does? Then we'd have to deal with him too!"  
"Oh," comprehension filtered onto Siren's face. "I see."  
"We'll wait until visiting hours are over, then we'll get her," Kurusama crushed the cookie in her hand, enthusiastically, happy with her plan.  
"Oh dear," Siren was immediately distracted by the gesture. "I just baked those this morning."  
"Oh, god save me," Kurusama slapped her hand to her forehead. "Would you get over it?!"  
  
Later, a head stuck itself around the door, peering this way and that in Tia's room, making sure there was no one else in the room, "You know girlie, I didn't know you knew so many people."  
Tia scowled, for a moment she didn't recognized the man grinning at her from the doorway, then her brow cleared and she called out happily, "Ronald Raymond Collins! What in the world are you doing here? I thought nothing but a threat to your personal safety would get you out of your computer room." Her eyes widened as Ronnie loomed over her, "Gracious, I forgot you took up so much room."  
He did, too. He stood six foot seven in stockinged feet and weighed a good 240 pounds. He didn't look like a computer programmer and hacker extraordinaire. He looked like the quintessential bad boy instead, with a black t-shirt stretched across a muscular chest, and ratty jeans tucked into worn cowboy boots. His arms were huge and muscular and his neck was just as brawny. His mahogany hair was long, caught up in back by a piece of worn leather shoestring. An emerald earring hung from his right ear. The only thing of the computer programmer that was in evidence, were the gold wire-rimmed glasses he wore, his emerald green eyes gleaming intelligently from behind the lenses.  
"I got a hot tip on that Sakamoto fellow and didn't like it one bit. I couldn't reach you and time was of the essence," he sat down gingerly on a rather spindly hospital chair placed next her bed. "Unfortunately, he got to you before I could."  
Her eyes snapped to his face, "You mean that the shot was intended for me and not Yaten?"  
"Got it in one. This is just the kind of thing that he'd be a part of."  
"But, it must've taken a great deal of trouble just to arrange that. Do you really think that he'd be a part of that?"  
"From the talk all over the Internet, hell yes."  
"God, do you think anyone else knows about this?"  
"It's a good bet that your brother-in-law suspects something. He's just the sort."  
  
"Detective, here's the bullet from the incident with your sister-in-law," a policewoman handed Takumi a plastic bag with a large metal lump in the bottom of it.  
"Thank you," he looked at the bullet in it for a moment, then gestured to his partner. "Joji-kun, come here. Does this look like the slug to a .357 Magnum to you?"  
Joji Yoshida scowled at the bullet and grabbed the bag, "No. This didn't come from a handgun at all. The bullet's too big. If might come from a rifle."  
"A rifle," Takumi looked at his partner. "This is the bullet they took from my sister-in-law."  
"It's a miracle that she's still alive, then. Usually this kind of this would've blown an exit wound the size of a softball out of a person," Joji observed impassively then winced as he realized what he was talking about. "Oh, god, I'm sorry, Takumi. Your sister-in-law . . . ," he stopped, a frown suddenly creasing his face. "Wait, if this didn't come from the gun that weasel we've got in holding, it came from a different source . . . . Do you think that your sister-in-law was the actual target, rather than that young super idol?" At Takumi's nod, he frowned again, "But why?"  
"Sit down, my friend," Takumi sat down on the edge of his desk, "this's going to blow your socks off. I've suspected this since I heard the news that she was shot. I've reason to believe that Ryu Sakamoto was the one who ordered her death."  
"What? Wait, why?" Joji sank down on his partner's seat.  
"That tape, the one that had all that footage of Sakamoto's smuggling activity. I'm pretty sure that Tia sent the tape. If you listen carefully, you can hear someone muttering softly. I recognized that voice as belonging to Tia."  
They were quiet for a moment, then Joji glanced up at his partner, "If what you say is true, your sister-in-law's still in danger."  
"Not if we take Ryu Sakamoto down before he gets a chance to get at her again. Still," Takumi picked up this phone and began jabbing at the keys, "it might be a good idea to make sure she has some sort of protection."  
  
"You're not serious?" Tia stared at Ronnie, disbelievingly. "Do you believe it?"  
"I don't know," Ronnie leaned back, then sat back up rather hurriedly when the chair wobbled shakily under is weight. "Damn chair. Anyway, everyone I talked to on the net, at least who lived in Japan, agreed that this Sakamoto character was heavy into the occult scene. One or two had some rather alarming stories about his alliance with some sort of dark force. Sounds like a bunch of horse-huey to me, but if this Sakamoto fellow follows this kind of thing. . . . It could be worrisome. A rich psychopath is not something one takes lightly."  
"Rich I can handle, my dear," she shook her head. "It's the psychopath part that's scary. And he knows who I am," she paused a moment, then scowled at the doorway. "What the hell is that all about?"  
"What?" Ronnie followed her gaze to the door, where he saw a uniformed police officer now standing at attention. "Uh-oh, looks like your brother-in-law called in the reinforcements," he got up, went the doorway and poked his head out. "Hi, there. Miss MacKenzie is wondering what you guys are doing here."  
"Orders from the precinct," one of them eyed him warily, the sheer size of the other man making him edgy. "We're here a precautionary measure. And you are?"  
"Ronald Collins," he answered gravely, and Tia knew that the policeman didn't know that he was being mocked. "I'm a friend of Miss MacKenzie's from the America. I'm here on business and dropped in to see her when I found out she was in the hospital. I can show you my papers, if you like," he seemed so mild and helpful that the policeman relaxed slightly.  
"That won't be necessary, if Miss MacKenzie will vouch for you?" He peered past Ronnie's bulky form. She nodded an affirmative and he transferred his gaze back to the other man, "If there's nothing further?"  
Not quite a snub, but Ronnie wasn't any man's fool and he returned to his chair, "Guy's got a lot of guts for such a little squirt."  
"Ronald!" Tia laughed, then winced. "Ow. Don't make me laugh so hard, it hurts. Besides, boy-o, diamonds and dynamite come in small packages, you know. He might just be able to kick your can."  
"You think?" he rumbled, peering thoughtfully at the policeman through the door. "He might at that."  
"Yeah, he might. Now would you get back to the matter at hand?" she became serious once more. "Do you think he'll be after me again, now that I've survived his first attack?"  
"It's a good possibility. I think you should let your brother-in-law know about what I found out," he leaned back, gingerly.  
"Maybe," she winced at the thought. "But it's a toss-up as to whether he'll believe me or not."  
  
"My he's a big one isn't he?" Kurusuma murmured to herself as Ronnie said his goodbyes and left. "A good thing we decided to wait. And now all we have to do is take care of the guards."  
"Are you sure?" Siren murmured. "I mean, we don't want a lot of people involved with this, do we?"  
"What are you talking about?" Kurusuma rounded on Siren. "This was your idea, remember?"  
"Oh," Siren frowned, puzzled, then her face cleared. "So it was. Well, in that case . . . . Visiting hours are over in twenty minutes, why don't we wait till then? We could have dinner!"  
Kurusuma smacked her forehead for the seventh time in the last hour, then sighed, "We might as well, no telling who could walk in on us."  
  
A hard-faced young man stared down at the man who lay in a crumpled heap at his feet. Then the tied the man up and gagged him then shoved him into a cupboard in the corner of the room. He slid into the seat the man was using and began punching keys. He typed a name into a patient field, waited for a moment then scribbled something down on a scrap of paper. A sharp smile spread over his face as he rose to his feet and slipped out of the room.   
  
Visiting hours were over, and the patient wings were now relatively quiet. Two forms slipped down the corridor, quietly and efficiently. They didn't seem any different than any of the other nurses from the hospital, but they weren't quite right either. There were several anomalies that would escape you if one wasn't observant enough. Small enough details but one would overlook of you weren't a medical professional employed at the hospital.  
The hospital had a dress code for the nurses on duties. Long hair had to be confined tightly, so that the hair was no longer than the shoulders. The uniforms had to be pristine. White loafers with rubber soles were required.  
So if a doctor or another employee of the hospital had seen these two women, they would've known that these two women weren't nurses. Their long hair was loose and hanging down their backs, the nurses' hats slightly askew on their heads. The uniforms weren't even standard issue at the hospital and both were wearing stiletto-heeled shoes.   
Of course, there was no way the police officers standing guard in the corridor could know that. At the sound of footsteps, both turned to look at the women coming down the corridor. Both admired the handsome women striding down the hall and didn't realize the danger which was coming down the hall towards them. Both women turned and smiled dazzlingly at them, and they both thought that they were very beautiful. There was nothing there to warn them and, in the end, they didn't even know what hit them. They were slumped, unconscious on the floor in a matter of seconds.  
Kurusuma stepped over the sprawled form of one of the police officers, casually, and quietly pushed open the door to the room. Siren followed quietly behind her partner and they slid into the darkened room. They advanced further in the room, focused on the dark form on the bed. Kurusuma motioned for Siren to do the deed. The flash of energy that was almost blinding in the gloom. They were both taken aback when the bed erupted into a spray of burnt and burning bedding. The energy had discharge harmlessly in an empty bed.  
The next thing they knew, they were being attacked from behind. Kurusuma felt something hard slam into the back of her knees and she went sprawling to the floor in a heap. Siren's breath expelled forcefully when a metal bar was rammed into her solar plexis and she flew backwards into the nearest wall. Then the lights flared.   
Tia stood above them in her pajamas, the intravenous stand held under her arm like a quarterstaff. She glared at the two women she'd thought she seen the last of, and snapped, "Not you again. I've gotta hand it to you, you're persistant. What do you want of me?"  
Kurusuma was slowly getting to her feet, "You made a mockery of us before and have just done so again. We cannot forgive you for that."  
"You didn't answer my question, skank. I asked you what you wanted from me."  
Siren answered this one, "We want your Star Seed. You're in no position to fight us like you were the last time."  
"What?" Tia glared at the girl, uncomfortably aware that the back of her pajamas were now stained with fresh blood. She'd torn her wounds open anew when she'd attacked the two women. She realized that there was blood showing on the front of her top, shocked that she'd lost that much blood in so short a time. Then her resolve hardened and the smile she gave the other women sent a chill down their spines, "It doesn't matter. If it's necessary for me to die, then, by God, I'm going to take you with me. So come on," she twirled her makeshift quarterstaff in front of her, "take me, if you can."  
"So be it," Siren's arms whipped up and energy flashed in the room.  
  
Yaten had a bad feeling. It wasn't anything that he could pin down, really, just a feeling that something was going to happen.  
"Yaten-kun?" He looked up at the sound of Usagi's voice and found her staring at him, questioningly. "Something the matter?"  
"I don't know," he frowned. "A feeling. Like something bad is going to happen to Tia."  
"Why don't we go see if she's all right?" Usagi smiled comfortingly at him. "At the very least, the hospital staff can tell us if she's all right."  
The closer they got to the hospital the worse he felt. And by then, the others were beginning to feel the bad vibes. Usagi hid the feeling well, but noticed the concerned looks that Taiki and Seiya exchanged. There was something going on and the sooner they got to the hospital the better. Usagi had the feeling that Sailor Moon was going to be needed soon. By the time they got to the hospital, all of their nerves were screaming and they barreled through the lobby at full speed, ignoring the nurses on duty at the nurses's station.  
They skidded round a corridor then slid to a halt at the sight of the crumpled police officers. Yaten knew they couldn't involve an innocent and turned to Usagi, "Go to the nurses station, get them to call the police. Go, we'll do what we can to help Tia. Hurry!"  
Usagi nodded then flew around the corner. Yaten and the others looked at each other and nodded, grimly. Then they transformed into the Sailor Star Lights. Through the window into the room, they could see flashes of light and, to their surprise, Tia, who was still herself and was apparently, throwing everything that wasn't bolted down at the two women in the room with her. Star Healer's eyes were riveted on the red-stained pajama top clinging to Tia's torso.  
Without wasting time on preliminaries, she slammed her shoulder into the door distracting the women who were intent on Tia, "STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO."  
The women went in opposite directions, the blast of energy passing within a hair of them. The one in blue spun in mid-flight and fired the extractor bursts at a surprised Tia. And she was surprised enough to be thrown off her timing and the energy bursts found their target.  
She didn't scream or shout. A surprised sound escaped her lips and she jerked twice before becoming still.  
The only other sound in the room was Star Healer shouting, "NO!!"  
  
  
  
  
PART NINETEEN  
  
Usagi pivoted halfway to the nurses station into a darkened corridor. She'd decided that the police were less needed right now than Sailor Moon was. So she transformed quickly and ran back to Tia's room. There was no sign of the boys and she was relieved that they got to safety. She peered through the door window just in time to see Tia hit with the extractor bursts and she gasped in shock. She slammed into the room, shouting, "NO!"  
The Star Flower opened and Tia's Star Seed came free. It shone bright, casting light in all directions. They all waited, breath held, for the Seed to darken and dim. After a couple of minutes they realized that this was it. It was a true Star Seed. But no one realized the real reason for this.  
"We did it!" Kurusuma leapt up and down, exulting in their victory.  
Siren actually had tears in her eyes, "Oh, Galaxia-Sama is going to be so pleased! A Star Seed, at last."  
The Sailor Soldiers were stunned, none of the others had been true. Why this one? And why someone so precious to them? When Siren started walking towards Tia, their shock evaporated and they moved to protect the Star Seed. Kurusuma gestured, almost casually, and beams of energy lanced out, slamming into Sailor Moon and catching Star Healer full in the abdomen and sending her crashing into the two others. Kurusuma's upper lip curled and she turned back to Siren, "Go on. Get it."  
Tia, meanwhile, was not insensate. She was quite aware of what was going on around her, but was suffused with a profound sense of lethargy. It was as if all her energy had been sucked from her. She felt something rising in her, like the swell of a huge wave gathering power. It wasn't a pleasant sensation and she fought against it. Fought as hard as she could. She didn't want that thing to overwhelm her, some kind of instinct told her and she usually trusted her instincts.  
"The Star Seed is ours," she heard the woman in blue say and suddenly the woman's vapid voice irritated her to no end.  
Then she realized that if she were overwhelmed, not only her life would be over, but so would her child's life. The fear she felt for the life of her child suddenly was overwhelmed by such a profound sense of rage that it rocked her. No one was going to kill her child. No one. Anyone who tried would die. And it was that rage, that determination, that broke through her lethargy.  
Her lips skinned back from her teeth and her eyes opened. They focused straight on Siren, who stopped in shock when the girl moved, "That thing is mine. And no one is going to take it from me. Least of all the likes of you."  
The muscles in her neck stood out with strain, but she moved. Her arm came up, straining with every inch she moved, but it moved more quickly than seemed possible under the circumstances.  
As her hand closed over the Seed, it flared. A warm flare as if greeting the touch, happily. At the touch, her lethargy broke and she moved normally once more. There were other things concerning her now. The feeling that, with what she had in her hand, nothing was impossible. She knew this was so. All she had to do was visualize it. The Seed gave a warm flare again, as if joyfully fulfilling her wish. When it was over, Tia gripped in her hand, not a Star Seed, but a Star-born sword; a weapon she knew how to use with deadly efficiency.  
She raised her head, a slow smile spreading across her face, "Surprised? Don't be, you were the ones who made this all possible."  
She swung the blade as if she'd been born with it in her hand. The sword wasn't just any sword, and it didn't react like any normal sword would. Energy flared from the blade, directly towards the two women. The energy was as a physical thing and it pushed the air in front of it. There was a loud boom, rather like the sonic boom created by a jet breaking the sound barrier. The others clapped their hands over their ears, trying in vain to muffle the ringing in them. Galaxia's minions didn't fare quite so well. They were hit, full force, flinging them backwards and through the plate glass windows, the pieces exploding outwards driven as much by the women's bodies as by the concussion force which the Star-sword had produced. All throughout the floor, and indeed throughout the two floors above and beneath, windows shattered outward with explosive force.  
Tia fell to one knee, panting as if in exertion, she looked over at the Sailor Soldiers, "This thing belongs inside me, doesn't it? Something bad is going to happen if it's not returned, right?"  
"I'm afraid so," Sailor Moon extended a hand, as if to touch the other girl.  
"No," Tia twitched away. "Don't touch me. If," she winced as if in pain, ". . . if you can do anything to return me to normal, you better do it fast. I don't know how long I can hold it back," she cried out, then curled up on her self. "Oh, God, here it comes!"  
From the floor, a multitude of green tendrils rose up and engulfed the girl, forming a sick-looking cocoon.  
"If you're going to do something, girls," a new voice shouted from the doorway, "do it now, or things might hit the fan."  
Sailor Moon nodded and before the cocoon even burst open she had summoned her scepter, "STARLIGHT HONEYMOON THERAPY KISS."  
The Farce didn't even have time to announce its name before it was hit with the healing wave, and it ended up shouting, in disbelieving surprise, "Beautiful!"  
In a flash, Tia was back. She stood, dazed, for a moment, then fell to her knees. Then collapsed in a heap on the floor. In an instant, Nancy, who had been the new voice in the doorway, was on her knees, turning her sister onto her back. She evaluated the situation in a glance then whipped around and said urgently to the women now clustered about her, "Summon a doctor, quickly. Her exertions have re-opened her wounds."  
Star Maker nodded and disappeared through the door, the sounds of her heels fading as she went. Nancy motioned the other women to her, "Help me get her back onto the bed."  
"Do you think we should move her?" there was an edge to Star Healer's voice which made Nancy glance at her sharply.  
"I think it'll be okay," she replied after a long moment. "She hasn't sustained any spinal injuries, after all."  
Gently, they lifted her onto the bed. Star Healer laid her head gently onto the pillow and smoothed her rich locks from her forehead. Her fingers froze as she noticed that the bedclothes were already stained a horribly brilliant red and was spreading. She paled and cursed quietly under her breath, "Where the hell is that damned doctor?"  
Nancy surveyed the stained bedclothes, sucked in a shocked breath, "God damn it. I think this might be worse that I thought," she glanced wildly around the room for a moment, then pounced on something on the floor. She came up with the panic button. She depressed the button held it until she heard the sound of rushing footsteps.  
The door burst open as a doctor and several nurses rushed in. The Sailor Soldiers and Nancy broke away from the bed as the medical personnel converged on it. Star Maker, who had trailed in after the doctor and nurses, rejoined the other Star Lights. Sailor Moon stood with Nancy, who stared intently at the commotion.  
"Do you think she'll be all right?" Sailor Moon asked softly.  
In response, Nancy closed her eyes, hands clasped in front of her as if praying. She stood like that for a long time before relaxing, exhaling with a defeated sigh, "I don't know the answer to that. My visions of the future are always vague or uncertain when it concerns the ones I love. I can't even foresee my own future, much less the outcome of this night. . . . I'm sorry."  
Star Healer was a little unnerved to discover that Nancy was a psychic. Somehow, she felt Nancy might see her true nature. The nervous glances the other two gave each other said they both were thinking along the same lines she was. Sailor Moon was the only other Sailor Soldier who didn't appear to be nervous about Nancy's gift.  
"You're psychic?" Sailor Moon asked, completely embracing the concept, much to Nancy's surprise and to the astonishment of the StarLights.  
"Ah, yes," Nancy's cheeks reddened. "It's not spoken of outside the family."  
"You're speaking to us," Star Maker pointed out.  
"I know," she smiled, "but you don't live in America and don't generally meet FBI agents in Japan."  
They all gave her odd looks and she shook her head, "I'm speaking like this, because, here it's less likely that my competence and my sanity will be called into questions. Asians are generally more accepting of that , I believe. If anyone at the Bureau knew about this, they'd put me in the basement of FBI Headquarters so fast, your head would fly off your shoulders."  
She broke off when an orderly wheeled in a medical cart. They transferred Tia to the cart, and wheeled her out of the room. Nancy grabbed the doctor's arm, "What's going on?"  
"Let go," the doctor ordered, trying to free himself from her grip.  
"Not to be evil, Sensei," her grim tone brought his eyes to hers, "but if you don't tell me what's going on, you're going to need as much medical attention as my sister does."  
"I . . . see," faced with the prospect of bodily harm, he decided to stay and tell her what was happening. "I believe whatever went on in here has reopened the original wounds, including those in her lung. We have to perform emergency surgery."  
"Oh, my god," Sailor Moon breathed, hands clasping in front of her in agitation.  
"Well, you better get to it, Sensei," Nancy put a hand to her mouth. "I . . . apologize for threatening you a moment ago . . . ."  
"You're her sister, and it's understandable under the circumstances," he stopped and gave her a stern look. "Just . . . don't do it again."  
  
A dark shadow stood cursing, silently, after the cart with Tia on it, rushed past him. If he was lucky, whatever happened would kill her; if he wasn't, he'd have to wait until after she returned to the ward to take care of her. Either way, he'd have to wait.  
He hated waiting.  
  
Nancy and the Sailor Soldiers had moved from the room to the waiting area outside the operating room they'd been told Tia had been rushed to. They were speaking quietly to each other, mostly about the unlikely events which had happened before Tia had collapsed.  
"What I don't understand," Star Fighter was saying, "is how she could've moved, much less fought, when her Star Seed had been taken from her."  
"Well, that's easy enough, I think," Nancy mused to herself, drawing the others attention. "It's her condition. The power came from the . . . Star Seed, is it? That's how she could move. She fed on the Star Seed's power."  
"It amazing that she's got a true Star Seed," Star Maker shook her head at the wonder of it.  
"She doesn't have one," Nancy frowned at them.  
There was a moment of flabbergasted silence. The Star Lights stared at Nancy as if she'd lost her mind. Sailor Moon was startled and not a little puzzled.  
"Oops, sorry, maybe I should explain?" She continued, not waiting for their reaction. "Well, normally, she'd have the same kind of Star Seed I'd have, which is to say, not a true one. The only reason it's true now, is because it's not one Star Seed but two."  
"Two?" Star Healer was justifiably skeptical. "It's impossible for someone to have two Star Seeds."  
"Right now, she's two people in one body," Nancy said. Then she dropped the bomb, "The Star Seeds are hers and the her unborn child's."  
For a moment, the other four were stunned into silence. Sailor Moon gasped as the news suddenly sunk in. Star Healer paled until her face was almost bloodless, then went red as the other two Star Lights glared at her, accusingly.  
Star Healer collected herself enough to demand, "But why now, when she's pregnant. And not at any other time?"  
"Well, pregnancy, particularly in our culture, the Western one, pregnancy is an almost mystical time for us. It's a powerful time for a woman," Nancy stared down at her intertwined fingers. "It's when were are closest to our connection with the earth and the universe. It's something that goes back to a time before Christianity came to Europe. When the earth and nature were worshiped as goddess. It's that power which created her ability to utilize the power of the Star Seed."  
Her head came up, tilted as if listening, "Listen, my family's just arrived, and I need to ask a favor of you." She continued after they nodded, "What I've just told you, about Tia being pregnant? Keep it to yourself. No one else knows about it and until she tells them it's better to keep quiet."  
"Why?" This from Sailor Moon.  
"My brothers and brothers-in-law wouldn't take the news too well. They'd probably lynch the father of her child," she noted how pale Star Healer had gone. She made a mental note to take Star Healer, or better yet, Yaten aside and give him what for.  
  
Several hours later, a giant stepped into the waiting room. Nancy stood up and walked over to him, "You must be Ronald Collins."  
The man eyed her with mingled surprise and puzzlement, "How did you know?"  
"I recognized you from your photos," she titled her head. "I was curious, you see, who it was who'd managed to crack my system. You'd best be glad that Tia likes you so much, because it's the only reason I turned a blind eye."  
Ronnie stared down at the small woman looking up at him with equal amounts of shock, admiration and fear bouncing around his system. No one had ever been able to track him before and that person deserved his respect, "I haven't gone back in since and I don't plan on it."  
"Good, she answered, gravely. "Next time, I'll bust your ass."  
"How's she doing?" He steered the conversation to a more comfortable subject.  
"She's still in surgery," she sighed, sagging a little.   
"There was an . . . incident earlier. The fight reopened all her wounds again, including the puncture in her lung. They have to close it . . .them again."  
"Not to be the bearer of more bad news," he sighed, gaining the undivided attention of everyone in the room, "but, I've stumbled onto some disturbing news you'd better know about."  
Takumi had joined them at this point, "Tell us."  
  
Half an hour later, Takumi sat staring at the wall across the room. The others sat in silence, waiting for his reaction. At last, he sighed, looking back at the large man sitting near him, "I don't know . . . if I can believe you. I've been trained to deal with facts and concrete evidence," he held up his hand, forestalling those around him who'd begun to protest. "Facts and concrete evidence. And now you come to us, with this . . . . Magic is something I've always considered as fairy tales," he smiled derisively, "despite my own family's rather colorful history."  
Ronnie shook his head, a smile paying about his mouth. "Yes, I'm aware of it," he caught the other man's look. "Don't look so surprised, she's proud of you; why wouldn't she brag about you? And, you know, this sounded like a load of horse sh--," he broke off abruptly, flushing slightly, "horse crap when I first found out myself. But the stories were too consistent to be fairy tales. Besides, sitting in a room with her," he gestured gracefully at Sailor Moon, "one could start believing in almost anything."  
"You have a point," Takumi mused, staring at Sailor Moon. "But do you really think he's that . . . unrelenting?"  
"Yes," Ronnie didn't hesitate, "I do. But hang to your hats, it gets worse."  
"Worse?"  
"Word is, that this Sakamoto fellow is an--what's that word?-- an Adept in Necromancy."  
"A what in what?" this from Sailor Moon.  
"An Adept is someone who is an expert at magic. One who is at the peak of his game and only who will only get better as time goes by," Nancy answered, feeling a chill slice through her. "Necromancy is blood magic. The mage uses power released upon something's or someone's death, or by the power released by shedding of blood."  
"Even if this guy's only a crackpot," Ronnie added, sitting forward, "he's still a sicko and he's smart. That can be a deadly combination."  
"Yes, but---," Takumi broke off when Ronnie surged to his feet. He'd been facing the door and so had seen the doctor first.  
"Sensei," Takumi greeted him. "How is she?"  
"Well, she's a fighter, I'll say that much for her," the doctor replied, eyeing Ronnie, who was now looming over him. "She's going to be fine, if she isn't subjected to any more assaults. We transferred her to the Intensive Care Unit," he gave the Sailor Soldiers a stern look, "at least to give her some peace to recover. I might just keep her in there until she can go home, if there are going to be any more attacks."  
"Hey, Sensei," Star Fighter raised her hands in surrender, "don't blame us. We're just as concerned about her as you are."  
No one noticed when Star Healer slipped out of the waiting room. Star Healer slid around the corner of the ICU, glancing around at the patients in the beds. She spotted Tia near the corner and crept towards her.  
A furtive movement behind one of the hospital screens caught her attention. A feeling of dread coiled in the bottom of her stomach when she saw the black, metal muzzle from behind the screen. She didn't think, she just acted, "STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO."  
The energy streams disintegrated the screen and slammed into the assassin with the force of a wrecking ball leveling a building. The assassin rammed into the wall so hard he left a crater behind.  
Star Healer was so furious that she'd actually stalked over to the assassin with the intention of beating him to within an inch of his life. She grasped his shirt front, pulling him into a better position and drew back a fist. But the blow she'd intended on delivering was never dealt, because the commotion had summoned a doctor.  
"What the devil is going on here?" He demanded, stalking into the room. He spotted Star Healer and the assassin, "You there, don't you think you've destroyed enough of this hospital in one night?" The he saw the crater in the wall and his eyes zeroed in on the unconscious man Star Healer was still holding, "Young lady, you will unhand that man at once."  
He didn't wait for her compliance, but shoved her out of the way. He did a cursory examination then went to grab the phone mounted on the wall, "We need a cart in ICU, stat. I have an injured man in here."  
"You're going to save this man?" To say Star Healer was outraged was putting it mildly. "Do you have any idea what this man was doing when I found him? He was going to assassinate one of the patients here."  
"I took an oath, young lady, to help my fellow man. And that is what I'm going to do, irregardless of what he was trying to do," the doctor was taking the assassin's pulse. "It's not my place to judge, that's what the law does." He must have caught the disbelieving look on Star Healer's face, "If he was trying to hurt someone, that's for the courts to decide. My job is to make him well enough to bring him to justice," the doctor stood aside as an orderly and nurse rushed the cart into the room. The assassin was transferred to the cart then rushed him to the emergency room.  
Star Healer stood staring at the empty door for a moment. She heaved a great sigh, looking over her shoulder at Tia. She moved next to the girl's bed, the sight of Tia bristling with tubes and wires from all directions made her bite her lip. She reached out and brushed Tia's cheek with her fingers and whispered, "I'll get him, Tia, I swear I'll get him."  
She leaned forward, careful of the wires and tubes, and brushed her lips across Tia's. Then she left, her footsteps sounding resolutely in the hall.  
  
A day later, Takumi was sitting in his livingroom discussing the incident at the hospital. They'd been informed, of course, that an assassin had tried to take Tia's life. Tia had been placed under police protection immediately, as had the would-be assassin. Although they hadn't had a chance of interrogating him, since he'd been in a coma since surgery. Apparently, Star Healer's energy weapon and the impact against the wall had caused serious internal injuries.  
"Do you think that guy was sent by this Ryu Sakamoto?" Nancy was thumbing through a stack of police reports sitting on her lap.  
"I think he was," Takumi answered as Ronnie, who was also there, nodded his head in agreement. "She got away from him once, well, twice now. He has to redeem his honor by having the job finished."  
"Huh," Nancy couldn't keep the sarcasm from her voice. "I'm surprised he know the meaning of the word honor."  
"He does," Ronnie's lips twisted, wryly, "but I doubt his definition isn't the same as ours."  
"So what are you doing to do about it?"Nancy demanded of Takumi, who was scribbling notes into the margins of the police file in front of him.  
"We're going to raid his major operation site in town," he said absently, scribbling some more. "And no, you can't come."  
Nancy stared at him, astonished, for a moment, "Now who said I was going to ask--?"  
"No one," Takumi didn't look up from the report, but there was laughter in his voice, "but I can read your mind. You're not going."  
"But--," she started to protest, but Takumi held up his hand, silencing her.  
"No buts," he looked up now, a stern look in his eye. "I've got no doubt that you could handle yourself quite well in the field, but you are not a member of any law enforcement body in this country and have no legal right be come with us. You know that I respect you and I know you're a fine agent, but I can't take any chances," then he turned the stern look on a startled Ronnie. "And that goes for you, too."  
The other man threw up his hands in surrender, "Hey, man, who do you think I am? I'm no Rambo, thank you. I like keeping my hide all in one piece."  
"How com I get the feeling you're more along the lines of Robert Redford?" Takumi asked, suspiciously.  
"Robert Redford?" Ronnie was puzzled.  
"He's seen the movie 'Sneakers'," Nancy elaborated.  
"Oh," Ronnie folded his arms, looking haughty. "I've no idea what you're talking about."  
"Yeah right," the other man retorted. "Tell me another one." He was silent then, thinking about something and he became unusually sober, "I can't help but feel this is all my fault."  
"Your fault? What do you mean?" Nancy was curious.  
"She was the one who kick-started the investigation into Sakamoto in the first place, you know," he explained what he thought Tia's role was in the investigation. "Somehow, I feel if I had actually been able to talk with her about it, like I had intended. . . . I don't know, maybe I could've warned her somehow."  
They were quiet for a long moment before Ronnie spoke, "No, whether you had warned her or not, the outcome would've been the same. Tia isn't one to hide behind her family when something threatens her, not anymore at any rate. And from what I could gather, Sakamoto would've found a way to get to her."  
Takumi rested his forehead on his interlaced knuckles and sighed, "Maybe you're right, but still. . . ."  
"Yeah, but still. . . ,"the other man nodded.  
Takumi rose to his feet after another moment of silence, "I need some coffee. Do you want some?"  
"I could go for some," Ronnie replied casually, and watched with heavy lids as the other man left the room.  
He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a button. His elegant fingers manipulated the object, until a tiny red light flashed twice. His lips twitched in satisfaction.  
"What are you doing?" Nancy demanded as Ronnie peeled something from the button-like object.  
"If he thinks I'm gonna sit this one out, he's nuts," he picked up Takumi's police identification and fitted the button underneath the lining directly under Takumi's detective badge. "This is a transmitter, with a supersensitive microphone. I'm gonna find out where and  
when. . . ," he looked up at her sharply. "You're not going to say anything about it."  
"No, 'cause you're gonna take me with you," she smiled grimly as Ronnie positioned Takumi's ID in the exact spot it was before. "'Cause if you think you're gonna leave me behind, you're nuts."  
  
  
  
PART 20  
  
There was a large circle of light illuminated on a floor surrounded by complete darkness. In the circle of light, was a smaller circle, drawn in blood. Within this circle was a man. The man writhed in pain. He convulsed a few times and rolled to the side in a fetal position. His skin was beaded with sweat and his breathing was ragged, painful.  
There came a voice from the darkness, "I am truly disappointed in you, Kuriyama. I take you in, teach you and this is how you repay me."  
Ryu Sakamoto stepped from the darkness, swathed in the robes of a Western mage. The robes were black and its lesser darkness blended and was swallowed by the greater darkness around them.  
"I had great plans for you, my boy. Plans that you ruined when you shamed me with your failure," the Sakamoto smiled, a smile which would've chilled even the most the hardened criminals. "But you may well prove useful to me yet. In your new form."  
The man in the circle wasn't listening; he wasn't really aware of anything but the pain. There were shapes moving under his skin, showing with in painful relief. His body bowed outward, and he screamed his anguish.  
Ryu Sakamoto smiled again, enjoying the spectacle of pain, "Oh, yes. You will prove quite useful now."  
  
Tia's head snapped up. She sat, tense, as if expecting something to happen. After a moment, she relaxed slightly. She sensed something in the air, something like danger, and she didn't like it.  
She shook her head, trying the dispel the feeling of impending doom. Maybe she was being delusional. She'd never had these kinds of warnings before. Maybe it was exposure to Sailor Moon and company. Or had something to do with that incident with---what had they called it?---the Star Seed.  
She shook her head again, thinking about the Sailor Soldiers. She had never thought, in her whole life, she would ever encounter people like them. Until she'd come to Japan, she'd never even heard of people like her. The closest she had ever come to people like them, was Nancy, who was precognitive. And certain family myths about a sorcerer and a female warrior.  
But those were just stories. There were other stories, too. About inherent powers, but no one in living memory had them. No one in the last five generations, and even then, there wasn't any guarantee that they weren't just stories.  
Weren't they?  
  
Ronnie was sprawled out in a chair that seemed incongruously fragile in comparison to his massive frame. There was the look of utter boredom on his face, his half-lidded eyes masking the sharp gleam in them. Fitted in his ears were earphones attached to a hi-tech receiving device. There was a spool of magnetic tape recording whatever he was listening to.  
Suddenly, his whole body tightened, even though he didn't move more than a millimeter. He was listening intently to the conversation coming through the receiver. His arm reached out, picked up a pen and jotted down some pertinent information. The pen stilled and his listened for twenty minutes more before taking the earphones from his ears and picking up the phone.  
"Okay, listen," he told the person who answered his call. "I want you to meet me here as soon as you can; I've got some information for you that you might want to hear."  
  
"Are you out of your mind?" Taiki grabbed Yaten roughly by the arm.  
"No, I'm not," Yaten ripped his arm from Taiki's grip. "I have to tell her. I owe it to her. Dammit, she's carrying my child!"  
Even though they already knew of her pregnancy, Yaten's admission shocked Taiki into silence. It hung there in the air between them. Yaten backed away from him then turned and walked out the door.  
Taiki whirled and snapped to the up until now silent Seiya, "Why didn't you say anything?!"  
"Taiki, you are talking to the wrong person and you know it," Seiya leaned back against the bar. "She has a right to know. She's going to have his child and he won't be around to support her. You think about that, O great one." He got up from the bar and walked from the room, leaving Taiki to his thoughts.  
  
A slim leather-clad form slipped into Tia's room after visiting hours. Sailor Star Healer stared at Tia's face, silently, for some time.  
"I've been waiting for you," Tia spoke without opening her eyes. "Star Healer."  
Star Healer was silent in shock for a moment then moved to sit on Tia's bed. "Why?"  
Tia's left eye opened, amusement dancing in her eye, "You have something you have to tell me, don't you, Yaten?"  
Star Healer's breath expelled from her as if someone had kicked her in the stomach. For several minutes she was totally incapable of speech. "How-how...?"  
Tia sat up, her hand coming up into cup Star Healer's cheek, she smiled, a slightly puzzled look on her face, "Some things you just know. I knew it the first time I looked into your eyes after those two witches attacked my brother-in-law," she leaned back into the bed with a weary sigh. "I wanted to deny it. I mean, Star Healer, in case you hadn't noticed, you're a woman!" she grinned so infectiously that Star Healer grinned back. "But, your eyes, the soul staring out of them, is the same. It still took me a long time to really come to grips with it. It's why I accepted that we can't be together so easily . . . ."  
"I really wished that I could've spared you this," Star Healer's fingers drifted over her face. "I wracked my brain trying to figure something out, figure anything out. But every time, I only . . . .," her voice faded into stillness.  
"You only came up with this one thing," Tia smiled gently, her fingers tracing the familiar, yet unfamiliar face.  
"I'm sorry, I'm so. . .," the rest of her apology was silenced when Tia covered Star Healer's lips with her own. Star Healer was shocked, eyes wide open. Then they drifted shut. Tia withdrew first, opening her eyes and looking at Yaten, who now sat in front of her. He opened his eyes and stared at her silently, before asking, "Why did you do that?"  
"Because, I love you," she pointed to his chest, laying her finger against his tie. "Who you are inside, Yaten, not your shell. Star Healer, Yaten, you're the same. You are you, and that's who I fell in love with. Besides, I couldn't stand to hear you apologize for something you didn't do, something that's not your fault." She smiled again, "Besides, I have something to tell you, and I need to do it now, before I lose my nerve."  
"What is it?"  
"You remember when we had that fight? After our first time? Well," she bit her lip, looking down at her hands, this was a lot harder than she'd figured it was going to be. She had no idea what his reaction to this would be, and she was almost afraid to find out. It almost seemed as if she couldn't force the words past her lips. Her throat worked convulsively and she seemed almost surprised when she blurted out, "I'm-I'm. . . pregnant."  
Yaten was silent for so long, she risked a peek up at his face. He was staring at her with the biggest, most foolish smile she'd ever seen, smeared across his face. "I take it that's not the worst news you've ever heard."  
"I love you," and a searing kiss were his reply. He raised his head, gave her a bone-melting smile, than laid his head against her abdomen, right above the new life they'd created. He was silent for a time, then laughter shook his frame, "I was wondering how long it was going to be before you told me."  
"Before I told . . ." she thumped him on the back with her fist. "You jerk, you knew all along!"  
"Nancy told us," Yaten raised his head, his shining eyes alight with laughter.  
"Told us?"  
"The other Starlights and Sailor Moon."  
"Does everyone else know about my 'secret'?" she couldn't keep the acid out of our voice.  
"No, just us four," Yaten explained what happened after she'd been taken into surgery. "So she made us promise not to tell."  
Yaten had laid his head back onto her abdomen. She laced her fingers through his hair, "Sing something for me?"  
His voice, when it came was soft, but firm, and she closed her eyes and let it drift over her. Funny, hadn't she heard this somewhere, before? It sounded familiar . . . .  
  
Fate has spoken  
My heart's one chose  
For I heard an angel sing our names last night  
  
It's love that found you  
My heart surrounds you  
For I can see all my life within your eyes  
  
If they ask me what I'd wish for on a shooting star  
I'd say, all my life's dreams came true  
The day that I found you  
For you complete me  
Your heart helps to guide me  
For I've never known this love I have for you  
A special kind of thing  
Eternally will be our special kind of thing.  
  
She was asleep long before the end of the song and he followed soon after, lulled into dreamland by the sound of her breathing.  
  
Nancy and Ronnie were bent over a map spread out on a table in his hotel room. Ronnie pointed to an area near the Shinjuku area, "There. That's where they're going to conduct the raid," he rifled through some large paper sheets strewn haphazardly over his bed. He pulled a couple of sheets from the pile and placed them over the map.  
"These are the plans for the building!" Nancy exclaimed. "How'd you get them?"  
"Don't ask," Ronnie said, absently. "From the tape, they're planning to enter here," he pointed to a door near the northeast corner of the building. "Good cover here, they can get their people into place without anyone in the building being the wiser, for some reason, no windows on this face. They're going to have people positioned across the street here," he pointed to places somewhere off the blueprints, "and here. And people placed on neighboring buildings, here and here and here," he added, pointing to various parts of the sheet, "to keep any eye out for any potential problems."  
"Hmmm . . . . That would mean," Nancy mused, absently, marking a note on the sheet, "in order to keep the cops from seeing us, we need to get in before the cops get set up," she looked up. "When did you say they were going to begin?"  
Ronnie flipped through his notebook, "Um, lessee . . . They were going to deploy at 7:30 p.m."  
"So we get there, at 7:00. Did they say if they were continuing with the surveillance on the building until the time of the raid? Shoot, we're going to have to find a way to get past it before the others get there," she made another note.   
"That shouldn't be too hard," Ronnie pointed to buildings on either side of the warehouse. "They've only got rudimentary surveillance positioned here and here. We can get past them here and here, no problem."  
"Now all we gotta do is get in," Nancy frowned over the blueprint again. "Say, you wouldn't know how to pick a lock, would you?"  
"As a matter of fact . . . ," he grinned at her expression. "Hey, look, I wasn't always a computer geek, you know."  
"Oh, man," Nancy dragged a hand through her hair, "I gotta talk to Tia about the people she hangs out with."  
  
Ami was startled by a discreet chiming coming from her pocket computer. She was in Tia's hospital room, visiting with Usagi and Makoto. Tia's brother-in-law was also there, leaning indolently against the wall, watching his daughter crawl all over the foot of Tia's bed. He'd glanced over at her when the chime had sounded and raised an eyebrow.  
She blushed, delicately, then excused herself. She caught Makoto's eye. She grabbed up her mini computer, and she and Makoto slipped into the corridor. She smiled at the police officers on either side of the door then walked a short way down to some benches in the hall. Makoto slid into the seat next to her.  
Ami logged on to her computer. There was an alert waiting for her. She frowned as the data was relayed to the computer. She plugged in some data, "That's odd . . . ."  
"What is it?" Makoto waited patiently for the information that Ami was getting from the main system.  
"The computer detected some sort of high tech listening device in Tia's room just now," she punched more keys.  
"Really, where?" Makoto leaned in so she could get a closer look at the screen. "What's it doing?"  
"I'm running a sweep on the room, to locate where the device is," she punched a few more keys. "There, the computers scanning the room now." There appeared a basic line 3-D drawing of the room with line drawings of the people in the room. It focused on the line drawing of Takumi. Then it focused even further on his breast area. The focus shifted again, delineating a bill fold in this coat pocket, a bright red, flashing dot as the device. "Why would anyone bug his badge?"  
"And when would they get the chance, anyway?" Makoto frowned. "Is there any way for the computer to find out where this thing is sending that signal?"  
"I can try," Ami began punching keys in quickly. "There, the computer's searching the city. It's got something . . . .It's a hotel . . . . The Royal Arms; that's one of the most exclusive hotels in Tokyo. The penthouse suite."  
"Nice," Makoto murmured. "Can you find out who's registered in that room?"  
"I don't know, maybe, give me a minute," she punched the keys on her computer for a moment. "There, Ronald Collins."  
"Ronald Collins, who's that?" Makoto frowned. "And why would he want to listen in on Tia's brother?"  
"I don't know, but I think that Mr. Collins is going to get a visit from the Sailor Soldiers very soon," Ami stood up, snapping her computer shut. "Come on, let's get Usagi."  
  
The elevator motors provided gentle background noise as the girls rode down the lobby.  
"We don't know what to expect when we get there," Makoto was frowning slightly, arms folded. "It could get real serious, real quick. I don't like it."  
"I want to find out what's going on," Usagi's face was unusually somber. "But all the more reason to go have a little back-up on this. Call Hikaru and have her meet us at the hotel. You must admit she does have a lot more experience in this sort of thing than we do."  
The other two nodded and they fell to planning their foray.  
  
When they met up with Hikaru at the hotel, she wasn't alone. Predicably, Michiru was with her, knuckle to her chin, a slight smirk playing on her lips. She laughed and said, "Well, you didn't think you'd get my partner and not get me, did you?"  
Their job getting to the penthouse was made easier, since the penthouse was accessible only by an express elevator. That meant they could transform without worrying about the stops made by a normal elevators. Sailor Uranus was all for busting down the door, and was about to ram the door when Sailor Mercury stopped her.  
"There's an easier, less destructive way to do this," Sailor Mercury gave an impatient chuff. She reached out and knocked on the door, calling out, "Room service!"  
  
When Ronnie answered the door, he expected to see one of the unfailingly polite hotel employees, so he plastered a plastic smile on his face and was saying, "Sorry, I didn't order any room service," when he suddenly found himself on the business end of a sharp, ornate sword. Every muscle in his body tensed, and he fought his natural impulse to take down this interloper. But some instinct was telling him to allow the scene to play out a little longer. He contented himself with asking, "And who are you, beautiful?"  
"That's none of your concern," the woman snapped, applying a little pressure on the sword, enough to make Ronnie to back into the suite.  
"No?" he allowed himself a slight smile, knowing the very thing could cost him his life. "I think it is. As delightful as I find you and your companions," he looked at the other women who began slipping into the room after them, "it concerns me when you break into my room and accost me with a sword."  
"You've put a surveillance device on the badge of a well-known, prominent police detective," the woman dressed in blue, with a blue visor over her eyes, said nailing him with a hard look, "we want to know why."  
The room had been dimly lit, so the other women hadn't seen the slim figure slipping through the shadows. Well, didn't see it, until it was way to late. There was a gun pressed to Uranus's temple before she realized what had happened, and a voice was saying in her ear, "How rude, they didn't even bring the caviar we ordered. I'm going to have to write a stern letter to the hotel management about this," the voice hardened. "I wouldn't move, sister, I can pull this trigger faster than it would take for you to try and kick my ass."  
"Oh, wait!" Sailor Moon suddenly shouted. "Miss Nancy! Stop, that's Tia's sister!"  
Immediately, the gun was lifted from Uranus's temple, and Nancy backed away from the woman, gun pointed at the floor, but no less wary. Uranus gave her a scorching glare, and she grinned impertinently.  
"What are you doing here?" Nancy asked Sailor Moon.  
"Ah, the transmitter on Detective Miyake's badge?" it was a question.  
"Oh, well, as to that," Nancy gestured for the rest of the Sailor Soldiers to enter. She flipped the safety on then stuffed the Baretta down the back of her pants and shut the door. "Come into the parlor, we'll explain."  
Ronnie shook his head, exasperated, "While you're at it, could you please explain to me who these people are? Boy, and I thought I was weird," but then he grinned, admiring long, shapely legs as they proceeded before him. On the other hand, he thought, I can't fault the scenery.  
  
Nancy filled in the Sailor Soldiers on what they had been doing. They sat for a time, in silent contemplation of the situation. Sailor Moon was staring at Ronnie for a while when he lifted his head and cocked an eyebrow, "Something on your mind?"  
"Why are you involved in this?" Sailor Moon asked. "Why are you and she so bound and determined to go on that raid with the police."  
"For me it's simple," Nancy answered, "she's my little sister. Oh, we may not be blood, but they welcomed me into the family with no reservations, no restrictions. Like I was actually born into the family. And when you mess with my family, there's to hell to pay. Takumi won't take me on. I'm, oh, thousands of miles outside my jurisdiction. But I want to be there when they take this . . . person down."  
"My answer's a little more complicated," Ronnie leaned back, staring at the ceiling in reflection. "I met Tia, oh, two years ago. I was a guest lecturer at a local community college on a seminar about cyber-crime," he grinned at Nancy, whose eyebrows had disappeared under fiery bangs. "She wasn't an official seminar participant. Her grandfather had gotten her in on the pretext that he couldn't find appropriate child care for her. I remember being shocked to see a young girl there, and even more when she started making sensible conversation..   
"I've been a hacker for most of my life, ever since I discovered computers. I was never caught, but I outgrew the impulse to screw with people's lives. That's when I came up with the idea of selling my experience to clients to help them guard against people who were like how I used to be.  
"It wasn't long after that first meeting with her that my computer security company came under suspicion of industrial espionage. And even worse, than that, before too long one of the detectives involved in the investigation was murdered. Suspicion and blame, of course, landed straight on my shoulders. It didn't really matter to the detectives that I was innocent. They wanted payback for the death of their colleague, not that I blame them, on reflection of course," he gave them a self-depreciating smile.  
"Into the middle of this came this astonishing little girl I'd met at that seminar. I don't think they really knew what hit them. I mean, there she was, this little bit of nothing standing between the law and the person they believed killed one of their own.  
"They didn't take her really seriously at first, until she started, as they say, stealing a march on them. She began uncovering some major evidence; evidence they would've uncovered themselves if they hadn't been so focused on proving I was the culprit. They sat up and took notice then," he shook his head, a slightly puzzled smile on his face. "Turns out that one of the vice-presidents was the culprit. Cold-blooded little freak that had almost as much hacking experience as I did. She engineered it so I'd take the fall. Tia was the one who uncovered who it was, why and found all the hard proof to implicate the . . . woman.  
"She saved me from the electric chair, you know. That's what the District Attorney was going to ask for, the death penalty. Because it was a police detective who was murdered," he shook his head again. "I think she saved more than my life. You can't imagine how much anger and bitterness I held over that business. I was just angry enough to hack into law enforcement databases and cause some unmitigated chaos. But she pulled me back from that edge, got involved in my company, saved that too, since the company was floundering. She took the place of my family, too; they'd turned their backs on me a long time ago.  
"Guess it's not so different than Nancy," he huffed in surprise. "Family. I don't think I've ever thought of it that way. My family, and the rage I feel over this-this ," he broke off, he looked at his clenched hands in surprise. "Nancy's right. Mess with my family there's hell to pay."  
  
  
Continued in Chapter 5  



	5. Chapter 21-25

CATCH A SHOOTING STAR  
  
RATING:R  
  
CHAPTER 5  
  
BY: Jeanne Stumbaugh  
  
DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of their creator. It is not the intent of this author to profit from their use.  
  
Sorry, guys, but my email is down!!! You won't be able to reach me if you want to comment on my story for a little while anyway. My motherboard had gone south on me (Something about the way it communicates with my modem is messed up. "AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" to quote Lucy from Peanuts.) and it'll be a little while before I can either bypass the problem or, heaven forbid, replace the motherboard (Which will take even longer.). Anyway, if you really want to send something to me, I'm pretty sure that if you ask her really nicely, my sister, Michelle Harris here, will find some way of getting it to me.  
  
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:  
  
Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One  
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two  
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three  
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four  
Chapters 21 thru 25 are now Chapter Five  
Chapter 26 is the Chapter Six  
  
I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.  
  
  
PART 21  
  
"My biggest problem with this whole scenario is Ryu Sakamoto himself," Nancy told the Sailor Soldiers.  
"Why's that?" Sailor Jupiter asked from her station by the balcony doors.  
"His reputation," Ronnie supplied. "Tia had me doing some work concerning him for her. She got me hooked. But I didn't like any of the things I found out about him. Spooky stuff."  
"Spooky," Nancy scoffed. "From what you've shown me, this creep is the worst kind of necromancer," she caught the puzzled looks on the Sailor Soldiers all had. "He's the kind of mage that would use the energies released by death and blood for less than sterling purposes. And from everything I've snooped with others, he'd make Aleister Crowley seem like Glenda the good witch."  
"If he's as bad as you say," Sailor Moon said, a slight frown on her forehead, "we might be able to help you out a little. We've had some little experience in dealing with people like him."  
"No, you haven't but," Nancy stared at Sailor Moon speculatively, "I think you might be of some use to us. The police would brush off the suggestions of the supernatural. Most police do, dealing as they do with the everyday criminal and the use of all the forensic technologies available to us. But if something should go wrong, you might be able to mitigate some of the  
damage. Come on, we'll let you know what we have planned."  
  
None of his men would come into this room. It wasn't the darkness of the place, there was only one dim light in the room, every surface was painted black, even the vents were covered in black cloth. It wasn't that the room was entirely claustrophobic, there weren't any avenues of escape, no doors or windows, and the dimness brought in the walls, even though the  
room was quite open, spacious even.  
It was due mainly to the fact that if the boss brought someone besides himself into the room, they never left alive or, even worse, human again. This was the room they all feared the most and the reason none of his most trusted men dared to violate his trust or their loyalty to him. No, they new the consequences to that only too well. And their boss made sure they stayed that way.   
He was in that room today. The room that horrifying sounds had been coming from. None of the men had missed the fact that for several days one person, thankfully none of them, a day was brought into that room. None of them had been able to ignore the screams of those sacrifices as they ripped through the door, but none of them dared to interfere, to protest, because none of them wanted to be the next man to go through that door.  
Ryu Sakamoto looked upon his creation with an air of unconcealed pride, "Oh, you are much more than I expected. Much more," his voice took on an almost seductive note as he moved forward to caress his creation. His fingers touched it, and it moved under his touch, and he reveled in the rubbery, clammy flesh under his hand. He put his other hand up, running his  
fingers over the body of the creature, "Magnificent, truly magnificent."  
  
Nancy gasped, her eyes widening, her head coming up. She stared into the air, a slightly unfocused look entering her eyes.  
"Nancy? What's wrong?" Ronnie became worried when she didn't answer him. He would have gone to her, had Sailor Moon not restrained him.  
"No," Sailor Moon shook her head, she recalled that Sailor Mars would get that same look when she was having one of her visions. "She'll come back once her visions stop."  
"Her visions? Are you telling me she's psychic?" Ronnie couldn't have been more flabbergasted.  
"Didn't you know?" Sailor Mercury asked, surprised.  
"No. Quite frankly, I'd only just met her a few days ago. Tia never mentioned this."  
"Why should she?" Sailor Moon asked, shaking her head, pointing at Nancy. "She's a FBI agent. Her credibility would be shot to pieces if word got out."  
Nancy gasped again, then sank deep in the cushions of the chair she'd been sitting in. She let her head drop back on the headrest and closed her eyes. She sat that way for a few moments then raised her head and looked at them. She seemed almost astonished to see them sitting there, silent, staring at her, "Sorry. I usually don't space out when the visions come."  
"What did you see?" Sailor Neptune frowned, staring down at her mirror. She hadn't got anything from it and wondered why.  
"I'm not sure. I think it has something to do with the raid. There were lots of men there and a huge, dark presence. And you all, I think and those other women from the night at the club. I saw a fight, a big one, lots of guns and smoke, and other darker things. And an overwhelming sense of dread," she let her head fall back onto the headrest. "Dread, so much, I feel almost sick. It's like something wrong is going to happen and I don't know what it is."  
"We've planned for anything that could go wrong," Sailor Uranus said, arrogant confidence written all over her face. "And if something wrong does happen, we'll handle it."  
"I hope you're right. I really do."  
  
"Well, really, Miss Tia," the nurse cheerfully chided her patient, "you could've rang for some help."  
"I've never been sick like this before, you know," Tia laughed shakily, trying to control her heaving stomach. "I couldn't help myself. I was fine until a few minutes ago, and then my breakfast decided it wanted out. Ugh. I'm very sorry for this mess."  
"Nonsense, it's only normal in your condition, after all," the nurse dumped the soiled towels she was using to clean up Tia's mess into a bin in the bathroom. "How far are you along?"  
"A couple of months," Tia laid back, hoping that her stomach would still if she settled down. "But, I've never been sick like that before. I mean, I was nauseous, then sick, but not just sick all the sudden."  
The nurse frowned, "This is new?"  
"Yes, just started today," she swallowed and grimaced. "Do you think I can have some water, please? Just to get this taste out of my mouth."  
The nurse got her water, then insisted on taking her temperature, her blood pressure and heartbeat, explaining, "Well, it's new. I'll inform the doctor about it. He'll probably want to check you out. It could be serious."  
Tia didn't argue. Even though she had some doubts about her heaving stomach being caused by a physical problem. But how could she explain about the feeling of intense dread that struck her shortly after breakfast. It was almost as if she were receiving a premonition about something. What, however, was another question, and it worried her.  
  
"Have you ever had these kind of premonitions before?" Yaten asked, sitting next to her on the bed, their fingers interlaced.  
Taiki was sitting, staring at their intertwined fingers, and Seiya was leaning against the wall staring out at the city. They'd been shocked when Yaten had told them that Tia had figured out who they were. When they'd faced her, she had smiled slightly, "It wasn't all that hard to figure out you know, after I found out Yaten's little secret."  
Now, she was shaking her head, saying, "Nothing like this. I mean, I've had bad feelings, usually just before a physical attack. But nothing like I've been feeling since that night at the club. I think something happened when they took the Star Seed from me."  
"Not surprising," Seiya laughed, turning his head from his perusal of the city. "Nothing like what you did has ever happened before. Nothing. I was thunderstruck when I saw you move."  
"You're serious?" she looked up at Yaten for confirmation. He nodded, not really able to stop staring at her. She blushed, looking away from him, "That might explain a great deal. You know there are some stories . . . maybe they weren't stories after all," she caught them staring at her, puzzled. "Never mind, I'll explain later. Thing of it is, I've got a real bad feeling. Something bad is going to happen, and somehow, it's got to do with me," her fingers tightened on Yaten's.  
He could almost see her thoughts and he leaned down, and said quietly in her ear, "I'm right here. You're not alone this time."  
He heard her breath catch and she looked up at him. The look in her eyes told him that he had read her thoughts right, "I'm going to be with you. I won't leave until this thing is over, whatever it is. If something bad is going to happen, I'll be here with you. I won't leave you."  
"We'll all be here," Taiki was astonished to hear himself say. But he'd seen the raw pain in her eyes a moment ago and didn't know if he could take it if she looked like that again. "We won't let anything bad happen to you."  
Good grief, he thought to himself. I'm getting soft in the head.  
  
Ryu Sakamoto emerged from the black room, but not alone. All the men who had been waiting for their boss froze in terror. For rising above their leader was a thing straight from their worst nightmares. A demon from hell was too pale a comparison to this thing that brushed the ceiling, leaving wet trails in its wake.  
Ryu Sakamoto was pleased at the raw terror he saw on his men's faces, "Do you like my little friend?" He laughed at some of the disbelieving glances given to him by one or two of his men. "Don't worry, men, he's totally subject to my will. He won't attack you unless I order him to," he smiled, a wholly inhuman thing, as he gestured to the nightmare. Then he laughed in  
pure delight when it reached out with one of it's preternaturally long arms and plucked a screaming man from his feet. But he didn't scream long, the nightmare devoured his head with several bone crunching bites, "You see? Nothing to worry about."  
  
Nancy stood straight up, grabbing her head and screamed at the top of her lungs, "OH MY GOD!"  
Stood, every muscle and tendon stretched taut for a moment. Then her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed in a dead faint. Takumi was just in time to prevent her head from being caved in from impact with the sharp edge of the kitchen island.  
"What the hell was that all about?" he demanded, shaken to the core at the scene.  
"I don't know," Nikki swallowed past the fear suddenly lodged in her throat. "We'll have to wait until she's come round before finding out."  
Takumi carried her into her room and laid her on the bed. Nikki brought in a bowl with ice-cold water and a cloth. She began bathing Nancy's forehead, worry straining her features. Nancy came to a few minutes later, bolting upright in bed, yelling and flailing her arms. Nikki tried to restrain her, but she was too strong, "Takumi! A little help here!"  
He dodged the flying arms and grasped her around her upper arms, in a bear hug. He began yelling in the struggling woman's ear, "Nancy! Nancy, it's all right! You're home, you're safe. Wake up!"  
His voice finally brought her to her senses, she stopped struggling abruptly, her eyes suddenly focused, "Takumi? Oh, God, I'm sorry."  
"You had a vision, right?" Nikki asked, taking her foster sister's hand in her own. "Did you see anything?"  
"It wasn't a vision, not really. It was a feeling of utter terror. It's nothing like I've ever felt before in my life. Then a feeling of intense pain and after that nothing," her breath caught and Nikki wrapped her arms around her sister. Takumi put his arms around both women as Nancy whispered, "Somewhere nearby, someone has just died a horrible, horrible death."  
  
"So," Dr. Yutaka Namura stared with disapproval at the young man sitting on Tia's bed, holding her hand, "I take it you're the father?" He had the satisfaction of seeing the young man blush a deep red to the roots of his silver hair, "I don't approve of the way you've been handling things in the matter of her pregnancy. Yes, Miss Tia, I know your feelings on the matter. That doesn't mean I can't have my opinion on the matter and that I can't express them," he turned his attention back to the still blushing Yaten. "It is my hope that you are going to do the right thing?"  
"I hope," Yaten's fingers tightened on Tia's, as he looked down at her, "and I pray that I can. It might take a long time to straighten things out. But I hope."  
The doctor hummphed, not in the least mollified, but understanding nonetheless, "See that you do work it out. If you don't, you'll answer to me."  
"Tia," Yaten sighed, staring at the doctor as he checked her responses, "what is it about you that makes every man you meet turn into some sort of self-appointed guardian angel?"  
She shot him a look full of laughter, as the doctor glared at the boy, and said, "I was hoping that you could tell me, cause I have no idea."  
Suddenly, both Yaten and Tia gasped in shock. It seemed as if great waves of fear were washing over them. Their fingers tightened in each other's grips and their breath seemed frozen in their lungs. Then it was gone, and they could draw in gasping breaths. They looked at each other, their eyes full of shock.  
"What the hell was that?" They both looked up at the shaky voice of Dr. Namura. He was looking a little wild about the eye, and his gaze jerked from one point in the room to another.  
Tia swallowed, forcing her voice into a semblance of normalcy, "What was what?"  
Yaten looked at her, frowning for a heartbeat, then asked the doctor, "Is something wrong, Namura-sensei?"  
"Y-you," he stopped, clearing his throat. "You didn't feel that?"  
"Feel what?" Yaten's voice was amazingly steady even though his heart was racing.  
"It felt---," he stopped abruptly, then shook his head, is face unusually pale. "Never mind. It was nothing. You're progressing in your recovery quite well. If there are no other attacks on your person," a sarcastic note entered his voice at that point, "I see no reason we can't release you into the care of your family within a couple of weeks. I'll come in and check you again soon. Good evening."  
They waited until he'd exited the room and heard his footsteps faded down the hall. Tia grabbed Yaten's sleeve, saying, "You guys need to keep an eye on him. If he could feel that, he might come under the eye of those two freaks on a leash," she was referring to Sailor Aluminum Siren and Sailor Lead Crow.  
"But how come he was able to feel that at all?" Yaten asked, staring at the door with some speculation.  
"He's got a reputation, you know," Tia said, adjusting the pillows under her back. "Dammit, I'll be glad when I can get out of this bed permanently. Anyway, Dr. Namura's got the honor of being one of the best doctors in Japan. I had him checked out, you know," she gave a faint smile, leaning forward a bit when he reached behind her and adjusted the pillows for her. "He gets results when others have failed. I think he has some sort of psychic healing powers. And I don't think that he's even aware he has them. Most of the best doctors probably have the same kind of power, I guess. I never really thought of it that way either, till I came here. He's probably got a low level empathic ability, so he was able to feel that."  
"And you felt it too?"  
"Oh, yeah. I'm gaining more power everyday I think. I just don't know how strong it'll get when it's all said and done."  
  
The Next Day  
  
"Okay, now you," Nancy pointed to Sailor Saturn, "will be positioned here. You'll use this," she handed Saturn a radio transceiver, "to radio us and give us reports on what goes on outside while we're inside."  
Saturn gazed out of sharp, solemn eyes as she said quietly, "I'm as much a soldier as any of the others here. I am as capable in battle as any here. I want to be inside with you."  
Nancy stared at the girl seriously and said in a hard voice, "You are our rear flank, Saturn. And you will be in as much danger as the rest of us. I've lost some of my best men because our rear flank was disabled during the course of an operation. By disabled, I mean killed. Do you understand? If I were trying to keep you safe, little girl," at this sarcastic remark Saturn blushed, "you wouldn't even be going on this operation with us, is that clear?" At the girl's nod, she went on, "There is the very real possibility that whoever or whatever is in that warehouse will be able to kill all of us. If that happens, you and those snipers are going to be the ones who will have to deal with whatever's gotten us. As it is, you will be giving us information about the police force when they get here, and whoever or whatever is out there."  
She bent over the map, "Sailor Venus will be with you, in case things get out of hand. Sakamoto is a Necromancer, which means he'll probably summon demons to be used as sentries and razing squads. He'll probably set some outside to harass and kill any police officers they encounter. You'll be there to back them up if that's the case."  
"Now we need to go over the plan, again; we have one more day to get this down," Ronnie bent over the blueprints. "And this time, you guys tell us what you're going to be doing," they all bent over them.  
  
TWO DAYS LATER  
  
Takumi secured the final strap on his bullet-proof vest and looked at his partner, "You ready for this?"  
"Yeah," Joji strapped his holster into place, then checked the condition of his gun, snapping the clip neatly into place. "As I'll ever be."   
"All right, people," Takumi raised his voice over the din of many police getting ready for action, "let's go."  
The mass exodus caused a bottleneck at the door at first then flowed out of the station smoothly after that. Takumi walked out with rest, shrugging into his jacket and checked his weapon one more time. He slid into the passenger seat of the car he was sharing with his partner. They drove in tense silence. They didn't mull over the plans for the raid, they had come up with every nuance of the plan themselves and knew it forwards and backwards.  
  
They reached the police checkpoint and were waved through right away. Two blocks from the warehouse they were flagged down by one of the surveillance team.  
"You made a good call on when to move in on them," the officer told them, slightly breathless in his effort to head them off before they got to the staging area. "You should see the amount of activity that has been going on."  
"You think that might be a problem getting us in there without being detected?" Joji asked, a frown creasing his forehead.  
"No," the man said a puzzled look coming over his face. "Actually, all it really is, is trucks pulling into the warehouse in convoy numbers, the door sliding shut and an hour later they all drive out. It's like their on a schedule, every two hours or so. The last convoy went out not half an hour ago. The next one isn't scheduled to pull up for another two hours."  
"Getting on to dusk," Joji looked up at the darkening sky. "We better got this show on the road, before darkness takes away our advantage."  
Takumi nodded, but he had a bad feeling, as if something very bad was going to happen and he wouldn't be able to prevent it.  
  
  
PART TWENTY-TWO  
  
High above the gathering police presence, two Sailor Soldiers stood watch over the guardians of their city. The wind whipped their hair this way and that, but the two ignored it as a minor inconvenience.  
Sailor Saturn turned, catching sight of a police sniper coming onto the neighboring roof and hurriedly nudged Sailor Venus, indicating they should get out of sight. So when the sniper detected movement on the roof where they were stationed, all he saw was a fine, white cat crouched on the lip of the roof, staring intently down at the activity below. And behind some rotating ventilation outlets, the Sailor Soldiers continued their vigil.  
  
"He's where?" Tia's voice suddenly held a sharp edge, as she spoke with her sister, Nikki over the phone. "Do you know when ? No, of course you don't. No, no, nothing that can't wait. Look, I'll check in later, see if he's in, okay? All right, yeah, I'm fine. Little stir-crazy, they won't let me out of this bed. Yeah, I know. Look, I'm gonna go, okay? Yeah, bye," Tia was silent as  
she put down the phone, but Yaten knew there was something wrong by the tense set of her shoulders. She sighed and looked up, an overly bright look in her eyes, "Takumi's gone on a raid. My sister said that it's a big case he's been working on for the last several months. She doesn't know the details, but I'm pretty sure that it's the raid on the Sakamoto warehouse. So, you can be pretty sure that whatever is going to happen, will probably happen tonight."  
"Then I'd better call the other two, shouldn't I?" Yaten picked up the phone and dialed his apartment. He told Seiya the situation when he answered the phone. Seiya didn't waste any time after that, but was off the phone and had Taiki out the door in less than five minutes. They were at the hospital in twenty minutes.  
Once they were in Tia's room, she was treated to the sight of all three transforming into the Starlights. She grinned, despite the seriousness of the situation, "Pretty spectacular. But still unnerving to see ya'll turn into women, though."  
Star Fighter grinned, hitching a hip, planting fists on her hips, "And I'll bet you know something even more spectacular, don't you?" The innuendo wasn't lost on Star Healer or Tia and they both blushed.  
"Take it easy, Star Fighter," the cool amusement in Star Maker's voice matched her smile, "she's not used to our brand of humor. Besides, I don't think you can really say anything, considering a certain someone's caught your eye."  
"Oh, so?" Tia cast a sharp eye at the now flushed Star Fighter and a grin slashed across her face. "And who might that be? As though we couldn't guess already."  
"Ah," Star Fighter stared astonished at Tia, "you know?"  
"It's about as obvious as the nose on your face, my dear," she stifled her laughter at the the look of shock on Star Fighter's. "Why is it when someone falls in love, they think they can hide it or something, when they're falling all over themselves trying to attract the attention of the object of their desire? I mean, not that I ever had that problem, though," she grinned at Star Healer, "I made my feelings quite plain.  
"But as to you," she was serious now, "I think it's a lost cause myself. Now, now, don't get your panties in a bind. I just think that Usagi is totally devoted to her Mamoru. Not that I blame her or anything, cause that guy is fine," this was said with such admiration that Star Healer felt a sharp stab of jealousy in the vicinity of her heart. Tia smiled a knowing smile at Star Healer, "Well, he is. You may have my heart, my dear, but I'm not blind, nor dead for that matter."  
"Well, I for one, refuse to give up hope," Star Fighter grinned, indomitable as usual. "He's not here, and I am."  
Tia frowned, "Just don't be disappointed, my dear, if it comes to nothing."  
Star Fighter only smiled. Star Maker brought their attention back to the matter at hand and they huddled as best they could around Tia's bed, making plans.  
  
INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE  
  
"Ah, they're here," Ryu Sakamoto was amused as he watched the gathering police outside his warehouse through a scrying mirror. "So predictable. But they should provide me with some amusement," his look of amusement changed to sharp interest as the mirror focused on two men in the midst of the milling police officers, who were obviously giving out orders, since whoever  
they spoke to hurried off in a purposeful sort of way. "Ah, Miyake and Yoshida. How special. The brother-in-law of the little thorn in my side and his faithful sidekick, this should prove most amusing, for I now have some wonderful plans for you."  
Sakamoto looked over his shoulder at the huge looming presence behind him. The look of pleasure on his face was almost sensual in nature as his eyes once again traveled over the lines and contours of his latest and best creation. Even the grisly sight of one of his former lieutenants being munched on by this thing didn't dampen his pleasure. If anything it increased his pleasure, since he was absorbing the death energies released from the man's death even  
as he watched.  
"Ah, my dear," he sighed, as if to a lover, "you must leave off your feast for the moment. It will be here when you return. I have a task for you."  
Five minutes later, an inhuman cry rent the dusk, freezing everyone within a mile in their tracks. The sound caused a chill to shiver up and down their spines.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Ronnie whispered as he stared into the shadows above him, wild-eyed.  
"Whatever it is," Sailor Uranus voice was just as quiet as his, staring up into the shadows tensely, "I don't like it one bit."  
Nancy hissed in surprise, clutching her head with her hands. Even as she had her vision, she was mindful of the precariousness of their situation and didn't shout or make any noise any louder that the activity going on around them. She rode the vision through, then gasped as she came out of it, "I have to get to the hospital!"  
"What? The hospital, why?" Ronnie whispered furiously at her.  
"Whatever that was, it's going to go after Tia!" She didn't stay to hear the vitriolic curses that Ronnie as hissing furiously, but scuttled from behind the crates that they had been hiding behind. She had to get to the hospital before it was too late.  
"What is it?" Sailor Moon whispered to Ronnie. "What's going on?"  
"I've got no idea, but Nancy seems to think it's pretty important," he whispered back. "You stay here, I've got a feeling that they're going to need you somehow. I'll go after Nancy, with these three," he pointed to Pluto, Uranus and Neptune. You, the one they call Mars," he nodded to the fiery soldier, "I want you go to back-up Venus. Tell Saturn that I want her to meet  
us at the hospital."  
Mars nodded, then faded into the darkness in silence. Ronnie nodded to the remaining Sailor Soldiers, "Good luck."  
Then, with a stealthiness that belying his sheer bulk, Ronnie also faded into the darkness, with the three Sailor Soldiers following closely at his heels.  
  
"Gods," Yoshida swore under his breath, the hair on the back of his neck still standing straight up, his gun out, his eyes darting everywhere. "What in hades was that?"  
"Nothing good, I'll bet," Takumi was just as wild-eyed as his partner. It was taking a good deal of his not inconsiderable self-discipline to keep the hands cupped around his gun from trembling violently. He had never in all his life ever heard anything so otherworldly or frightening for that matter. Like some great beast was loosed from the depths of the pit onto this  
world to hunt. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straighter. He shook his head as if to clear it, "We can't be worrying about that now. We've got a job to do," he raised his voice to gain the attention of the still unnerved policemen. "Everyone into position now."  
Relieved to have something else to think about, they shook themselves out of the case of nerves the wail had imposed on them and got back to work. The supernatural was all well and good, but they had work to do in the real world.  
  
"Hang on!" Ronnie half shouted over his shoulder and he swung the wheel of the sleek sports car he'd rented and fishtailed his way through heavy city traffic. He shifted gears again, then cursed as someone cut in front of him, "That does it. I've had enough of this," he swung the wheel again, and Sailor Neptune winced at the sound of scraping metal as Ronnie scraped  
between the two cars in front of him. Then she winced again as Ronnie returned some rather crude gestures the other drivers were flashing them.  
"Couldn't you just lean on the horn?" Nancy shot him an exasperated look. "It'd be easier, and less costly on your wallet, than causing all this damage."  
He grinned, wolfishly, "Thanks for the concern, but it's not going to bankrupt me. Tia always tells me that I have more money than most third-world countries." Nevertheless, he leaned on the horn all the way to the hospital. He spun into the parking lot of the hospital, barely missed slamming into a ambulance that was sitting in front of the emergency room doors, and was out the door before the smoke from the tires had cleared.  
As they exited the car after Ronnie, they froze in their tracks as the long wail of a hunting predator split the deepening night. And each ran into the hospital with a growing sense of dread.  
  
The instant they heard the howl, the Starlights were on their feet, one at each side of Tia's bed and Star Fighter at the foot. Tia herself held a rather large unwieldy knife in her hands, her eyes alert to the windows and the door. Suddenly, her eyes snapped to the window, as she received a premonition.  
"The window!" she hissed, shifting her weight slightly away from the window. "Move me into the corner, now! It's coming through any second now."  
They shoved her into the far corner away from the window just as the window exploded inwards, showering the room with flying glass. For a split-second, they was relieved to see that the hospital had had the forethought to install safety glass, so there were no sharp glass to lodge into tender skin. But then their attention snapped to the thing from the depths now standing amongst the shattered glass.  
It stood there for a moment, grinning at them sinisterly with a hundred or more razor-sharp teeth. Tia stared with fascinated horror as saliva oozed slowly down its teeth, over it's lower lip to drip to the floor.  
"What . . . ," Star Maker said, slowly, fear making her voice quaver, "the. . . hell. . .is . . . that?"  
"I have no idea," Tia answered, her voice as quavery as Star Maker's. "But it looks hungry."  
She heard Star Fighter gulp audibly, "I was afraid you'd say that."  
"This is not good," Star Healer muttered, staring with not a little fear at the thing that was almost calmly assessing them.  
It crouched for an instant, and threw its head back and howled. The sound, of course, drew hospital staff as nectar drew honey bees. A queue formed around a young doctor as he threw open the doors demanding, "Just what is going on here?"  
He took one look at the thing crouched in the middle of the room and froze. It swung its head to look and him and his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell backwards in a dead faint. The others were too shocked at the sight of the monster to even notice that he'd fainted. When it threw back its head and howled again, their hair quite literally stood on end in fright, and to a man (and woman), they screamed and fled down the corridors as fast as their feet could take them, leaving the unfortunate young doctor laying in his faint at the door.  
Thinking to take advantage of the monster's momentary distraction, Star Maker made her move. Tia had to bite back a protest, the monster's attention was still focused on the young doctor. Star Maker flew through the air, straight at the monster. She didn't know how much damage, if any, she could do with a physical assault, but if she could do any, so much the better. The monster, sensing movement, whipped it's head around, then flinched away from the blow with inhuman quickness. Still, Star Maker's boot heel connected to solid flesh, dug deep into the fleshy part of the monster's right bicep.  
It growled, more in annoyance than in pain, but swatted at Star Maker. It moved far faster than she could and it swatted her right out of the air. It leapt after her, muscles rippling smoothly. Another movement caught its eye and it twisted, lithely to meet Star Fighter mid-air. Its long arm whipped out, intent on capturing it's first meal of the Hunt.  
Star Fighter flipped her body out the way of the grasping claws. Her heel landed squarely between the thing's eyes. She ground the heel into the bridge of its nose, using its mass to launch herself away from it, while it howled, reaching for the painful spot. Neither Star Fighter's weight or momentum were enough to stop its forward movement. It hit the ground clutching its nose, hissing in anger. It sat holding its nose for a second, before its head whipped around, its eyes seeking the cause of its present pain.  
It rose up, stalking straight for Star Fighter. Anger overrode instincts and it followed Star Fighter's movements to the exclusion to everything else. That is until Star Healer decided to make her presence felt.  
"STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO," the thing let out its fiendish howl as Star Healer's energy weapon caught it full on the back. But, while it hurt, it only slowed it down a little bit, if at all. Recovering with frightening speed, it swung out its arm and caught Star Healer in her torso. She slammed into the cloth screen set up against the wall. Star Maker was there, standing protectively in front of her while her comrade recovered.  
"STAR GENTLE UTERUS," despite herself, Tia's lips twitched a little at the incongruous words. How the heck did they come up with these things anyway?  
The force of that blast threw the surprised monster backwards, but was struck by another energy burst and tossed in another direction. Star Fighter gave a fierce grin, and lowered her weapon. The monster was slow the rose from the wall it had been stopped by. Pieces of rubble and plaster dust falling from it. But it was moving slowly because it had been seriously injured.  
The monster had a few surprises of its own. Even as it lay where it had landed, it had begun gathering power. Energy from the dark forces from all the negative energies released by evil men everyday from the bad things they did as a part of their lives. It pulling in all the energy into its pool of already stored resources. Then it rose to face its enemies.  
And unleashed its fury on the unsuspecting Star Lights.  
  
"Blow it," Joji Yoshida ordered the officers to blow the storage bay doors.  
"Move in," Takumi ordered the others to kick in the other doors to the building as soon as the explosives had blown open the huge metal doors.  
A literal stream of the bodies flowed through the wrecked doors to be met with gunfire from those within the building. The men scattered, diving for cover behind conveniently large stacks of wooden and metal crates scattered around the building.   
Almost immediately, Takumi realized that while they had the superior numbers, the others had a superior tactical advantages. Already several of his men had been picked off by snipers and gunmen who were standing on catwalks above the ground floor. They had clear lines of sight to most of his men. He cursed virulently as he had to duck out of sight, as a hail of bullets rained down on his location.  
"We've got to take out those snipers," Joji shouted into his transmitter.  
"Suzuki, Nishihama," Takumi began naming off his best marksmen. "Take out the men on the catwalks! The rest of you keep the ones down here busy."  
Even as the marksmen began taking out the snipers on the catwalks, suddenly they were staring at a wall of mist. All of them lowered their guns in surprise, and Takumi muttered, "What the hell-?"  
A few seconds later, they jumped as they watched streaks of green light and lightning spear through the mist above them. The sound of rushing water. Surprised yells from the men above them. Then the bodies of men started falling from the mist. Takumi and Joji both had to jump out of the way, to avoid being hit by the falling men.  
"What the hell?" Joji stared at the man who had fallen at their feet.  
  
"Well, well," Ryu muttered, mild surprise tinging his voice. "This is a surprise. I didn't know they had it in them. I didn't even feel them come in. Very surprising," a cruel smile curved his lips. "But it still won't help them any."  
He gestured then, and the darkness around him began to boil. The air around him began to fill with shadows, "Go, my little ones. Your feast awaits."  
The darkness exploded into movement about him and the shadow-born creatures left to do their master's bidding. It was a long, long time before all the dark bodies had left the room. All that were left were two dark shadows crouched at the feet of their master, their eyes glowing redly into the darkness.  
  
Everyone stilled as the sound of rushing wings filled the warehouse. Suddenly the room seemed filled with darkness. All the men ducked out of the way of the wings, especially Sakamoto's men. They stared up into the darkness, terror reflected in their eyes.  
After the sound of wings, there came the click, click of claws on the walls and the floor and the glass of the painted over windows. The police spun around, as they tracked the movements all around them. Sakamoto's men lay as still as they could, closing their eyes as if denying what was out there would save them.  
"Up worm," one of Sakamoto's lieutenants was pulled to his feet but a massively strong arm, as the voice of a tiny demon whispered sibilantly into his ear. "Your work here is not finished. If I'd have my druthers, I'd sup upon your innards, but the Master has need of you. But mark me, worm, we will feast if you do not finish your work!" There was a hiss in his ear and the arm holding him shook him violently, then released him. He felt the claws of the little demon score his neck and shoulder and felt blood ooze wetly from the wounds.  
"I'll let myself be caught by the damned police rather than risk my life for that monster again," the man growled savagely. He glared at his men now, "We're meat if we fight for him. Better prison than demon food."  
"Idiot, do you really think the police can protect us from him or his demons?" another of Sakamoto's lieutenants swung his compatriot around roughly. "If we fight him he'll kill us or even turn us into what he turned Kuriyama into. Do you really want to take that chance?"  
At the mention of Kuriayama, the man paled, "We have no choice, do we? We're dead no matter what."  
Several of the men paled considerably at that. But not one of them protested what the other said. They knew what he was saying was true. Hopefully the police would kill them, but if not there was the alternative. Better they become demon food that become what Kuriyama had.  
  
"What the hell are they doing?" Joji watched the lieutenants arguing. "Do you think they're going to give up?"  
"No," Takumi watched a grim sort of determination enter their faces. "It looks like they're preparing to die."  
"What?" Joji whipped his head around at his partner. "Are you nuts?"  
"No," Takumi said grimly, "I only just realized what my sister-in-law was trying to tell me all along. We are way out of our league here."  
"We're glad you realized that," at the sound of the woman's voice, Joji pivoted and found himself pointing his gun in the face of Sailor Jupiter."  
"Put that down," Takumi's hand came down on his partner's wrist. "They're on our side," then he scowled. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?"  
"Fine lot of thanks that is," Sailor Mercury muttered to his right. "Your sister-in-law asked us to watch over you. She knew that this man had otherworldly help."  
"Just you three?"  
"No there were others but Nancy and some of the others left for the hospital," Sailor Moon spoke quietly and, noting the look that came over Takumi's face, added quickly. "Right after that howling before the raid. Apparently, she thought it had something to do with Tia. That Sakamoto might have sent something after her."  
Takumi paled when she said that. But then there came more movement around them. Sailor Mercury cleared her mist from the warehouse. The sight of the black shadows now covering the walls, windows and everything around them, made fear lodge in every throat. Hands tightened on weapons and adrenaline levels rose.  
"I thought I heard wings earlier," Joji whispered hoarsely.  
"You did," Jupiter's whisper was just as ragged. "They went outside. They're going after your men outside. Sailor Mars and Venus are outside. They should be able to help your men out there fight them off."  
  
When the dark cloud of demons began streaming from the warehouse, most of the police still outside stared in disbelief as the streamed out and up. Their paralysis was broken when the cloud circled back around, right straight back at them. Almost to a person, guns were raised and the night was shattered by the sound of sustained gunfire.  
At first they didn't seem to make any difference. When one demon was hit, it dropped for a few feet, then righted itself and dive-bombed again, screaming even fiercer than before. More than a few police felt the rake of claws, before dropping to the ground, out of the range of the claws.  
Then one of the police officers scored a lucky shot. His bullet grazed the side of one of the bat-demon's head. It dropped at his feet, stunned. The officer prodded it with his foot, then cried out in fright when the thing hissed, grabbing for his ankle. Without even thinking about it, he pumped two slugs into its head. He was shocked to see the red light die out of its eyes, then elated when he realized that he'd found out that they could be killed.  
"Their heads!" he shouted at the others over gunfire. "Aim for their heads!"  
"What!" another officer ducked as a large bat-demon dived for his head. "Do you think I'm that good a shot?"  
"Then," the officer focused on one of the demons heading straight for him, "do this!"  
As the bat-demon dived in close, the officer, to his own surprise. reached up and somehow managed to snag the demon around its neck. It shrieked in anger and surprise, its claws shredding the officer's shirt and his skin underneath. The police officer shoved the barrel of his gun into the shrieking mouth and said, right before pulling the trigger, "Die, you little rat-bastard."  
One of the K-9 unit officers grabbed another one right out of the air. While the demon shrieked and tore uselessly at the padded forearm of the officer, she jammed her boot knife right up its nostril. As she dropped the lifeless carcass of the demon, she looked up, her lips skinned back from her teeth, looking remarkably like the German Shepard growling right next to her. She didn't draw her gun again, she seemed to be more effective simply snatching the things out of the air.  
Her dog, one of the more intelligent beasts in the unit, seemed to be just as capable of dealing with the demons as she was. His master was in danger, and he wasn't about to run from the-great-black-flying-things, if his master wasn't running. Besides, snatching the flying-things was just like chasing down and catching a frisbee. Only this time, the frisbee was alive and he could bite and chew and shake it as much as he liked. Besides he knew his master was pleased with him, when, after the first one he'd brought down, his master whispered breathlessly, "Good boy! Get 'em, boy!"  
Meanwhile, the better shooters began picking the bat-demons from the air. The ones who weren't as good shots as the others, began waiting for the things to get as close as they could and then blowing them away. Some of them realized that they weren't really going to be much good, shooting them or trying to bash in their brains like some of the other officers seemed to be doing, but realized that they could do a lot of good by being support. As the shooters began running out of bullets, fully loaded guns were being shoved into their hands, and empty guns were reloaded. It began almost to seem like a routine, until they all began running out of bullets. Then the shooters and their support, grim determination now lining their faces stood and began the grim task of grabbing demons out of the air and crushing their sculls against whatever hard surface they could find. But they were only a few against a horde of thousands, and they were tiring fast.  
The K-9 officer dropped to her knee, sweat pouring down her face. She stared up at the cloud of demons and knew that they were fighting a battle they couldn't win. It didn't mean that she was going to give up, but she also knew that she was going to die before the night was over. She didn't regret that, she loved being a police officer, and she was going die with honor. She looked down at Nobunaga and she smiled, "Nobunaga, go! Go home!"  
Nobunaga looked up at her and chuffed. He rose from his crouch next to her, and, looking at her one last time with concern, bounded off, to follow her last order. As he disappeared into the shadows of the alleys, his master looked back up at the horde, and stood up, screaming at them in defiance, "Come on! Come on, you bastards, come and get me!"  
A small swarm of bat-demons detached itself from the main body of the cloud and did just that. They swirled around her, and she slashed the air with her knife. She grinned fiercely, as the sounds of falling bodies and shrieks of pain told her that she was doing injury, if not death to not a few of the swarm darting around her. But she was one, and they were swarm and they soon began to overpower her. One of the small, bat-demons managed to lock itself around her knife hand, and sank its teeth deeply into her wrist. She cried out in pain, the knife dropping from her now nerveless hand. The larger bat-demons then drove her to her knees. Then, surprisingly, they rose up away from her. The small bat demon, still locked around her wrist, spat in her face, and she took some satisfaction in dashing its brains out on the asphalt underneath her.  
There was a great whooshing sound, and she was struck with what seemed to be a fierce wind. A large shadow fell on her and she looked up at the largest bat-demon she'd seen that night. Its eyes were glowing a fierce red and she knew that this was to be her end. It loomed over her, its mouth opening, baring razor-sharp teeth. Taloned hands were reaching out for her and despite it's fearsomeness, she faced it without flinching. It might kill her, but it wasn't going to make her cower.  
A tan and black streak burst from the shadows of the nearest alley. Nobunaga leaped over his master straight at the large bat-demon, snarling, his own fanged mouth headed straight for the demon's throat. Surprised as the demon was, it was fast, and it managed to twist away even as Nobunaga's jaws snapped closed where its throat used to be. Nobunaga wasn't about to quit however, and went for the kill again. This time he made contact, his teeth sinking into the area that would have been a human's jugular. He twisted and shook and bit and chewed at that place until the bat-demon lay lifeless under his teeth. Still growling he backed away from the carcass, then raced to his master.  
She threw her arms around him, tears streaming down her face, "Nobunaga! You stupid mutt, now you're going to die, too."  
She heard the swarm shrieking in anger. She looked up to see an even larger swarm arrowing straight for them. She stared up at them, no fear in her eyes, and prepared to die.  
Then, little more than twenty feet from her, the whole swarm went up, quite literally, in flames. Her eyes were wide as their ashes blew around her. She felt Nobunaga slew around to look at someone and turned around and stared at the two young women standing behind.  
Sailor Mars smiled grimly at the woman staring at her with such shock, "Now, I know you were prepared to die, but that's such a waste, don't you think?"  
Keiko Nishiyama buried her face into the neck of her dog and wept.  
  
After that, it was a rout. Police officers cheered as the odds suddenly shifted in their favor. By the time they were done, Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus were both panting and sweating, but not a single bat-demon flew the night sky. Then they all looked at each other then ran for their cars while the Sailor Soldiers ran straight for the warehouse. The police officers donned the riot gear in their cars, helmets, night sticks and plexiglass shields emerging from their trunks. Then they ran to the warehouse to back up their comrades already inside the warehouse. Somehow, in light of the fight they'd just been through, they didn't have any problem abandoning their posts.  
From the amount of noise emerging from the warehouse, it seemed their comrades needed all the help they could get.  
  
TENTH STREET MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  
  
Six people burst out of the stairwell on the fourteenth floor of the hospital and ran down a darkened corridor. There was absolutely no sign of life in the hall. Doors were shut tight, with not even a sign of light underneath the doors. No sound of personnel walking the hallways. No sound of voices from the rooms. It was almost preternaturally still. Then came the sound of a howl. Then the power seemed to flicker.  
Ronnie and the others poured on the speed. They found the fainted doctor on the floor outside of Tia's room. They yanked him out of the way, just as the door exploded outward from the force of some dark stream of energy. Dragging the doctor to a relatively safe distance, they ran into the room, skidding to a stop at the sight of the three Starlights lying at various points in the room. Right where they landed after the terrific dark force struck each of them. Tia was up against the wall herself, parts of her clothing still smoldering, but fortunately, she'd only received the backlash of energy and not the full brunt of it like the Starlights.  
"Oh my god," Nancy's eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets. "That's the monster I saw in my vision."  
"What . . . the . . . hell . . . is . . . that . . . ?" Ronnie's eyes were almost as big around as the lenses of his glasses.  
"That is a lot of trouble," Sailor Uranus said grimly, pushing past the two in the lead. "Much as I hate to help them out, that thing is too dangerous to let go running around."  
She summoned her sword and Sailor Neptune stepped up to back her up. Sailor Saturn's glave was held at the ready and Sailor Pluto completed the formation inside the door way. Without warning Uranus and Neptune exploded forward, Uranus going for a physical attack while Neptune used her deep submerge. Both were a little surprised when the monster actually managed to dodge both attacks.  
Its arms lashed out, and while Uranus managed to avoid the razor-edged talons, Neptune looked down in mild surprise to find blood streaming from a shallow wound in her thigh. The demon seemed to grin at her maliciously. Then whipped its tail around at her, lashing her with the tips of the hair at the end of it, causing her to cry out, reddening her skin and opening new wounds. Uranus cried out in anger, but suddenly found herself in the grip of one of its massive hands. Her cry of anger turned into a cry of pain and the thing started to squeeze the life out of her. It wasn't finished with Neptune either, as its tail, now clearly prehensile, wrapped itself around her middle and began squeezing the air out of her. It seemed to be taking quite some pleasure in causing them pain as it slowly began killing them.  
But they weren't the only Sailor Soldiers there. Sailor Saturn brought her glave down on its tail, slicing it straight to the bone. The metallic-like clang that sounded when the blade of the glave met bone, shocked her, even as the thing howled and dropped Neptune. It didn't let go of Uranus, however, and Sailor Saturn swung her glave around and buried it deeply into its forearm. As dark blood spurted, Uranus dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. Saturn had time to drag Uranus from the line of fire, before Sailor Pluto let loose with her death scream attack.  
But this time, the monster was ready for it. It hunched down, taking the full brunt of the energy blast and absorbing it. The Sailor Soldiers stared stunned as the thing seemed to grow as it absorbed the energy. Its wounds healed as they watched, and the lights of its eyes glowed even more brightly, and it seemed that the thing's grin widened. Then it stood back up, the whip-like tendrils of its hair leaving scratches in the ceiling.  
Again, it lashed out with its fury on the Sailor Soldiers. It blanketed room with its lethal energy and everyone in the room was hit. This time it let loose a continuous stream of energy, determined to kill everything within the reach of his discharge. Nancy and Ronnie were both flung off their feet and into the corridor, skidding across the floor and stopping only when they hit the wall opposite.  
Tia, on her knees on the bed, frustrated at not being able to help, was hit as badly by the blast. It threw her against the wall, banging her head, and stars exploded in front of her eyes. Unlike, Nancy and Ronnie, she was still vulnerable to attack from within the room. Another stream of dark energy hit her, lifted her against the wall. It seemed that the energy stream had a life of its own, a deadly life and it wanted Tia. It slammed her against the wall twice more, each time causing the stars swirling in vision to increase.  
The third time, something within her seemed to snap. Her vision turned white, for an instant, and her eyes flared with light. Not an amethyst light, like her own eyes, but a bright, peridot. Then they cleared and, to her astonishment, found herself inside what seemed like a barrier of light. None of the energy streams lancing through the room were penetrating the barrier. They seemed to be absorbed by the barrier, in fact.  
Tia saw movement to the left and saw Nancy and Ronnie had staggered back to the door. She cried out to them, "No, stay where you are! You'll be killed."  
"So will they," Ronnie yelled, indicating the Sailor Soldiers, "if we don't do anything. I can't sit by and watch."  
So saying he dove into the room, hitting the floor and rolling. He seemed to avoid the worst streams of energy by some mysterious instinct. Not all of them missed, of course, but she could see that whenever the energy licked at him, he grit his teeth and ignored it. His hand closed over Sailor Saturn's glave, where it had come to rest when the first energy stream had caused her to lose it. He whipped around and swung the deadly blade at the monster, dragging the blade in a deep gash down its chest.  
Immediately, the dark energy streams dissipated into thin air, as their cause howled in agony. It reached out and grabbed hold of the cause of its pain, digging talons into the fragile body of the large man. And despite the pain, that big man, clamped down on his own scream, and, lips skinned back from his teeth, glared defiantly at the thing holding him. But it continued squeezing, its talons breaking the surface of his skin, sinking ever deeper, blood immediately soaking his clothes.  
"Ronnie, no!" Tia shouted, bolting for the edge of the bed, only run straight into the light barrier. It gave slightly, but bounced her back. She cursed, slamming a fist against the barrier. Apparently, it was going to protect her, but it wasn't going to let her expose herself to danger. Frustrated, she threw a pillow at it and watched in astonishment as it passed right through the barrier and landed a foot from the monster. Immediately, her gaze went to the poniard lying on the bedclothes. She snatched it up and, aiming carefully, sent the blade flying towards the monster.  
It sank deeply into the back of the thing's neck. It dropped Ronnie and clawed at the blade buried in its flesh. Tearing it from its neck, its hunter's gaze focused on his original target. Growling at the back of its throat, it launched itself straight at Tia. She flung herself backwards, instinctively, and was still shocked when it hit the barrier and bounced off. It twisted in mid-fall, landed on its feet and launched itself, once again, at the barrier. This time, it didn't let itself to bounce back. Instead, it focused itself on getting through the barrier. Striking and slashing repeatedly at it.  
Tia winced, at a particularly strong blow, and realized, that she was the one who was generating that field. And eventually, the thing was going to get through. It was only a matter of time, since she now felt all the blows that the thing was dealing the barrier.  
But Star Healer had other plans. Because the time gained when the other Sailor Soldiers interceded and the time gained when Ronnie stopped the demon's energy attack, allowed her to recover. Just enough to crawl to where her energy weapon had fallen and raise herself and discharge her inferno attack, straight into the monster's back.  
"STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO."  
The attack sent it flying into the barrier, then to its knees. The monster didn't even waste time by howling this time. Frustrated by its inability to reach its target, simply raised itself to its feet and went for the only other Sailor Soldier still moving. It reached Star Healer, picked her up and flung her at a wall. Its tail wrapped itself around her ankle and flung her at the opposite wall. Nancy, who had raced back into the room the moment the energy attack had cease and had been dragging the wounded Sailor Soldiers from the room, rushed to her side, the bloodied poniard Tia had thrown earlier gripped firmly in her hand.  
The demon's tail coiled around her upper torso and snapped taut. Nancy had been raising her knife-hand when the tail and looped around her, and had almost lifted her arm clear when the tip of its tail snaked around and trapped her nearly upraised arm at an awkward angle. She yelled mostly in anger, before the coils began tightening. Soon she began running out of air at an alarming rate as the pressure of the coils forced the air from her lungs.  
Meanwhile, the demon hadn't forgotten Star Healer. It lifted her from the floor, sinking its talons deep into her flesh. It grinned, once again having the advantage. It decided to play with this one a bit. So instead of just eviscerating her, like it would have earlier, it began to knead at her with the nearly foot long talons of the claw holding her. Each knead made new punctures in her flesh, and each new wound began to bleed profusely. With the other claw, it began drawing bloody lines down her exposed legs.  
Star Healer didn't cry out in pain, that would've been like giving up. Instead, she glared at the thing, through the ever increasing pain. She didn't make one sound, right up to the point when she blacked out from the pain. At that point the thing seemed disappointed that its plaything had passed out and turned its attention back to the one still struggling in the coils of its tail.  
Nancy had kept struggling to free herself, despite losing her air, to no avail. And now, it decided it wanted to keep her awake to play with her a little. It loosened the coils and her oxygen-starved lungs filled again with air. Once she'd drawn in a breath, she tried to pull her arm free. Suddenly, the tail tightened around her and once again, she was fighting to keep air in her lungs. It played with her for a while like that, loosening its grip on her, then tightening it sharply, to force the air out of her lungs. Of course, it was only biding its time, until the other woke up again. Which wasn't a long time to wait, really, just a few minutes, but to Nancy it was an eternity in hell. Once Star Healer began struggling in its hand again, it went back to the torture game it had been playing with her before.  
By this time, Tia was almost hysterical with rage and fear. She watched at the woman she considered a sister and the person who was her lover being tortured by this thing, in horror and growing anger. She flung herself at the barrier, not caring that it bounced her back, almost gently. She was standing on the bed by this time and flung herself repeatedly at the barrier. She struck at it again and again with her fists. The skin on her hands had reddened, and was now being pounded raw by the frequency and force she was using with every blow. She began pounding harder and harder, not caring about the now open wounds on her hands, unaware of the tears streaming down her face or near continuous roar loosed from her now raw throat.  
Her hands slammed into the barrier, and a spray of blood hung in the air for a second. The barrier flared, spraying a shower of sparks back at her. As it flung her backwards, stars once again blanket her vision and it seemed to her that she could hear a soft, exasperated sigh. It seemed to say, I give up, I won't let anything harm you, but I'll help you out here.  
And with that, she knew no more.  
  
She fell back on the bed, her back arched, eyes wide open, unseeing. Then again they changed, glowing amethyst for a moment, then changing to that same brilliant peridot glow. Then her Star Flower made another appearance, open its petals and releasing her double Star Seed. It bathed the room in its golden glow and hoovered, twirling slowly. It stopped its movement suddenly, then Tia's eyes flared and an energy beam flew from her eyes, and seemed to be sucked into the Star Seed, then was refracted and lanced straight towards Nancy. She was struck with that energy and internalized it immediately. She no longer struggled against the tight grip of the demon's tail, but seemed to hang lifelessly from it. Then she opened her eyes and they were no longer their usual soft silver, but glowed from within with green fire.  
Almost casually, she freed her knife hand from the demon's grip and stabbed the coils holding her. She landed lightly on her feet, when, with a hiss of surprised pain, the monster loosed its grip on her. It took a swipe at her with its free hand, but she evaded the blow easily, almost seeming to dance under it's swing, and took a swing of her own at it with the poniard. The blade bit deeply into the forearm of the claw that was holding Star Healer, neatly slicing through muscle and tendon and ligament. As it howled and dropped Star Healer from its now-useless claw, she pivoted around on one foot and, with one hand cupping the pommel of the blade, drove it backwards, impaling it, nearly to the hilt, in the demon's thigh. She twisted the blade in the wound, then tore it sideways through the muscle.  
As it fell to its knees, Nancy danced away from it. A calm, almost serene, half-smile on her face. It snarled at her, and used some of the reserves from its last energy attack to heal its leg. Then it launched itself at her from its crouch. Only she wasn't where she had been standing an instant before. Moving with such speed that the eye couldn't follow her, she leapt out of the way, and was under its guard even before it knew what had happened. It gave a surprised bellow as it flew across the room, from the force of a blow which should've snapped Nancy's arm in three places but didn't.  
From that point on, she didn't allow it any time to regroup. She worried and harassed the demon, draining its energy reserves and its physical stamina away. She matched the monster blow for blow, strike for strike. Rare was the time she was hit, but every blow she threw made contact.  
Ronnie, now wake and back on his feet, watched the fight from the doorway. It was like watching a Hong Kong action movie. Moves so fast they were blinding, Nancy flew through the air as if she were rigged with wires. She recovered instantly from blows which would have killed a normal man. The poniard was gone, knocked out of her hand by a lucky blow. But it hadn't slowed her down one bit. The fight seemed to last for a long, long time, hours maybe, but in actuality had lasted less than ten minutes. It was like she was waiting for the right time to deal the final blow.  
And soon, it came.  
She dealt a final, crushing blow to the monster and, while it stood, stunned from the blow, leapt clear out of range of its arms and tail and landed facing it squarely. She brought up her right arm and her left hand came up and wrapped itself around her opposite wrist, as if steadying her aim. Then came and almost unbearable stillness in the air and it was like some almost-intangible pressure was building. The glowing of her eyes, changed and it seemed that there were other colors swirling therein; silver, purple, peridot, before swirling together and again changed from those colors to and incandescent white. Abruptly, the building pressure was released and an incandescent beam of energy burst from her right hand and slammed into the demon, enveloping it in light. The light from this beam was so bright, that Ronnie, had to cover his eyes and turn away or it would have blinded him.  
Soon, the light died and there was total silence from the room beyond. He turned back and looked into the room. All the strange light had disappeared from the room. The Star Seed and its Star Flower were gone and Nancy was once again herself. She was standing as she had before, one arm extended, the other supporting it. But her eyes no longer glowed the strange colors as before, but was their normal, if somewhat dazed, soft silver. She was covered with sweat and she was panting with exertion.  
Lying in the middle of the room was not a demon, but a naked man, his flesh smoking. Ronnie stared at the man, realizing that this is what the demon had been originally. A man.  
He looked back at Nancy just in time to see her eyes roll up in their sockets and watch her topple to the floor. He rushed to her, raising her gently, assessing any injuries.  
Sailor Saturn had knelt down next Kuriyama, the man who was the demon. She gasped in shock as his eyes opened and focused on her. His hand reached out, wrapping around her wrist. He stared at her in silence for a few seconds, then in a ragged whisper, he stunned her.  
"Thank you."  
His eyes closed, his final breath escaped is lungs and his hand fell to the floor as he died.  
  
"NO!!" Ryu Sakamotos shrieked in anger. Even as his beloved creation died at the hospital, he watched as the suddenly reinforced police officers and the Sailor Soldiers defeated the last of the demons which had, at first, been killing off his enemies.  
Rage suffused him, as he realized that his Kuriyama demon had been killed, and that his plans here had also gone awry. So enraged was he, that he literally obliterated the watch-dog demons that had stayed by his side then he rose, took up his staff and in the blink of an eye, translocated himself into the warehouse proper.  
  
Joji Yoshida looked up from the carcass of the demon he'd just killed when a shadow fell over him. His eyes widened when he realized who it was who was now standing in their midst, "Uh, oh. This is bad, very bad."  
"What is?" Takumi turned and caught sight of the hooded man now standing in the center of the room. "Oh, boy."  
The man pushed back his hood, and those standing near him began edging away. The rage in his black gaze was sharp enough to cut and he was looking for his first victim. The air began moving around him, the folds of his robe began flapping in the air created by his energy call. Ryu Sakamoto's eyes began to glow redly, his lips peeled back from preternaturally sharp teeth and he opened his mouth and spoke, his words chilling everyone to the core of their bones.  
"You may have easily defeated my servants, but now you have to deal with me."  
  
  
PART TWENTY-TWO  
  
Sakamoto Warehouse  
  
Ryu Sakamoto laughed, contemptuously, as one of the police officers around him, fired at him with her weapon. He merely looked at the woman, and to the horror of the rest of them, it seemed as if she folded up on herself. They had to look away as Sakamoto literally crushed her with his gaze. Joji, listening to the woman's agonized screams, almost calmly walked to her and met her eyes. With eyes overflowing with tears, lifted his weapon to her temple and pulled the trigger.  
Sakamoto dropped the woman to the floor and commented, petulantly, "Now, Yoshida, you spoiled my fun."  
Joji Yoshida said not a word, but the eyes staring at Sakamoto, through the tears, burned with rage.  
  
TENTH DISTRICT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  
  
"What the hell was that?" Ronnie demanded of Nancy as soon as she recovered.  
"Whatever it was, it sure as hell wasn't me," Nancy gasped, her chest heaving. The fight had taken it's toll on her body, she felt a myriad of bruises, cuts and minor injuries she had received during the battle. "I've never felt that before, but it was incredible. It was like something, or someone had taken complete control of my body.  
"I could see and feel everything, but I couldn't control my actions. It was like someone else was in there with me. I could feel her."  
"Her?" Sailor Pluto asked quietly, kneeling next to her.  
"Yes, I could definitely tell whoever it was, was female."  
"Not, Tia?" Star Maker was kneeling beside Ronnie.  
Nancy thought a moment, "No. . .no I don't think so. Someone else. I don't know how I know that, but it wasn't her."  
They all looked at the bed where Tia lay. She was up on one elbow, a peridot glow shining out at them. When she spoke, it was like a pair of different voices was speaking to them, "Sailor Soldiers, your compatriots are facing a dire situation in that warehouse. You are needed there," her hand lifted and suddenly the room filled with blinding light. When the light faded, Sailor Pluto, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were gone. Tia lay on the bed, eyes closed, breathing deeply and, seemed to be sleeping peacefully.  
"What was that?" A confused Ronnie asked Nancy.  
She scowled at him, "What're you asking me for?" She shook her head, "Anyway, it doesn't matter any more. You stay here, I'll go get some help."  
"I'll go with you," Ronnie insisted.  
"Hey, I'm not the one bleeding from five different puncture wounds here."  
Reminded of the wounds he received in the fight, he suddenly realized he was in a lot of pain. He still insisted on accompanying her. She shook her head, put her hand on his shoulder and uttered a threat so potent he paled and sat back down. She walked over to the Starlights, Star Fighter and Star Maker kneeling concernedly next to Star Healer. She murmured to them then left the room and when looking for help.  
  
Sakamoto Warehouse  
  
Takumi watched another of his men collapse and cursed under his breath. He could only hope that either the man was still alive, or that he hadn't suffered before he died. There were too many under his command who were being cut down, and he couldn't do a damned thing about it.  
Bullets against the monster who stood laughing in the center of the room, were appallingly ineffective. No one could even get close. They just slammed up against some invisible force and fell to the floor. They didn't even ricochet, just thudded against that force and dropped.  
The Sailor Soldiers weren't really doing any better. Oh, their powers seemed more effective against the man's attacks than police bullets, but they weren't getting through either. But at least they were causing some drain on the man's shield. Takumi could see the man flinch every time a particularly powerful blast from Sailor Moon impacted his shield. They were making an impression, but nothing they could throw at him so far was getting through.  
If only there was a way to get through. One way to crack his defenses, and maybe, just maybe they could figure a way to take him down. The question was how to punch through the shield and how long it would take.  
'And at this rate,' he ground his teeth in frustration, 'we'll get through at the same time he kills off the last one of us."  
"Dammit!" Joji, as frustrated as his partner, cursed and pounded his fist against the crate next to him. To their surprise, his fist went straight through the wood and a white cloud erupted from the hole. Joji dropped his gun and clapped that hand over his nose and mouth as he lurched away from the settling powder. As Joji forcefully blew a breath from both his nose and mouth, Takumi realized just what it was now pouring onto the floor. And what they were hiding behind.  
They looked at one another, "We've got a problem."  
Then each of them scuttled to the nearest person, whispering an urgent warning. The others then moved on to the next group. They had almost told everyone when Sailor Moon stood up and fired a blast from her sceptre.  
Of course it didn't break through the barrier but it was strong enough to irritate the mage. He thrust out a hand and darts of energy shot out from his palm. Takumi was already moving, having sensed what the mage would do. He had to give Sailor Moon credit, she was already dodging, but she hadn't been quick enough. He leapt straight at her, shoving her out of the way, even as several energy darts passed through where they would've been, smashing into the crates and releasing a white cloud into the air.  
"MARS FLAME SNIPER.'  
"CRESCENT BEAM."  
Takumi urged Sailor Moon to safety behind some metal barrels. He watched the attacks of Venus and Mars impact against the mage's force shield. He shook his head as Jupiter stood up.  
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION."  
He also watched as Jupiter's attack bounced harmlessly against the for shield. Then, before his astonished eyes, several of Jupiter's energy darts hit the shield, slowed slightly then penetrated the shield. Two missed, three did not. Two ripped into the mage's arm, slicing open his robes and opening wounds and the third sliced through the robes at thigh level and blood spurted from a new wound in his thigh.  
Sakamoto, as surprised as Takumi, hissed and clutched at his upper arm. A fine rage poured through him. These insolent peons dared to raise a hand against him, so he would teach them the error of their ways. His lips peeled back from preternaturally sharp teeth and he glared out at the perpetrators, "It seems I have underestimated you. Well, not a second time."  
He raised his hand, and they all ducked in reflex, anticipating the coming assault. Sakamoto called out a few short words, there was a flash of light. But there was no attack, they raised their eyes to see that the mage now had an ornately carved and decorated staff in his hand. He raised the staff, speaking a few words, and a whirlwind whipped through the warehouse. The next thing they saw was what appeared to be a white, transparent bubble appear around Sakamoto. And the mocking smile reappeared on the mage's face.  
Which was replaced with astonishment as there was another, more brilliant flash of light. Which, unexpected as it was, bedazzled everyone in the warehouse, Sakamoto included. When the light died and everyone had blinked the stars out of their eyes, they discovered four more Sailor Soldiers in their midst. For Sailor Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn had appeared in the flash of light.  
They were standing there blinking to orient themselves to their surroundings. Which meant, they were standing completely exposed to Sakamoto's attack. Those nearby realizing this, grabbed each by their shoulders and yanked them behind cover.  
"Well, well," Sakamoto's amused voice rolled through the warehouse. "I must cease to underestimate you. You brought in the big guns to help you out," he laughed smugly. "Not that it will help your cause any. You will all die anyway."  
He raised his staff and a set of crates exploded with such force that the ground beneath Takumi bucked slightly. He realized suddenly that they were dealing with someone even more powerful than even he anticipated. He watched as a cloud of drugs settled over his men and as they were showered with flying debris.  
Sailor Mercury, having been warned by the cops about what that substance was, froze the cloud , and the particles dropped heavily to the floor. The cops found themselves showered with frozen particles took the opportunity to shake the drug particles off.  
Sakamoto growled, angered, raised his staff again, a bolt of death lancing from it straight towards the exposed men. Then a small form darted out in front of them and raised her arms.  
"SILENCE WALL."  
Takumi grinned fiercely now as Sakamoto's bolt now slammed uselessly against Sailor Saturn's shield wall. One of the men protected by Sakamoto's blast, gave a whoop, thrusting a fist into the air and mocked the mage, "How does it feel now! Yes!"  
There were a few reports from guns being fired in the direction of the mage. None of the others wanted to subject Sailor Saturn to a sustained assault from Sakamoto and began a determined bid to draw his attention.  
Takumi was near Sailor Neptune and hit poked her to gain her attention, "Do something, will you? We've got to get those men and your partner under cover."  
He moved off without waiting for a response. There was the rushing sound of the ocean roar through the building as Sailor Neptune did what he asked. A quick look showed that her attempt burst uselessly against the mage's shield. He didn't even wince, but it did draw his attention from Sailor Saturn and his men.  
The instant that happened, he caught Saturn's attention and he gestured towards the men behind her. She dropped her shield and ran to the first man, slinging his arm around her shoulder and did what she could to urge him to cover as quickly as possible. His other men swarmed around the other two, hauling them to their feet and hurrying them to safety.  
The man who'd taunted Sakamoto was the one Sailor Saturn had helped to cover; he was grinning fiercely despite the large splinter embedded in his shoulder, "You are incredible! I could kiss you!" He reached out capturing Saturn's face between his hands and pulled her forward and planted a kiss on her forehead, "Do you know great that was, to have what he's been doing to done to him?"  
He released her, and she pulled back quickly, blushing furiously. Then she grinned at the man, "I don't know what I did, but I aim to please."  
He grinned even wider, and she blushed even further. He was a very handsome young man, she realized.  
Then he winced, as if the splinter in his shoulder was reminding him that it didn't like being ignored. His fingers came up and cupped the splinter protectively, cursing under his breath. Saturn moved closer, concern on her face, "Are you all right? I'm going to get you out of here and to the hospital."  
He grabbed her arm, shaking his head, "No, no, it's just painful is all. You're needed here," He grinned at her again, "I'll be okay."  
Sailor Mercury knelt down and prized his fingers from around the wound. She frowned down at the wound, then shook her head, "He's right, he'll be all right. The splinter is actually plugging up the hole," she saw the look on his face. "Sorry. You should be okay. Let's just pack some cloth around that splinter. We're going to have to wait until this mess is over to get you to a hospital."  
His grin was back, "You just make sure you win."  
  
They were back to the impasse, Takumi's teeth ground against each other. The bubble around Sakamoto was an even more powerful shield than the one before. And now he was on the offensive. Takumi and his men found themselves jumping from spot to spot trying to avoid the mage's attacks.  
They popped up from behind their shelters, fired shots, ducked back behind them and scuttled away from it, on the off chance that that was the spot that the mage would attack next. It was only a matter of time, they knew, when they would be completely vulnerable, when they ran out of bullets and were only a hinderance.  
'We've got to do something,' Takumi thought, angrily. 'And soon, before we run out options.'  
He watched as a bullet ricocheted off the shield and imbedded itself into the ceiling. Debris fell, wood and plaster chunks showering the area around the mage. Plaster dust turned the mage's black hair to pepper and salt and turning his robes white around his shoulders.  
Takumi blinked. It couldn't be that easy. He shook his head as if to shake such ridiculous thoughts from his head then stopped. But what if it wasn't as half-baked as it seemed? It might be their last chance and he wasn't about to whistle it down the wind, even if it seemed insane.  
His brain kicked into high gear and he began to form a plan. He signaled Joji, had a hurried conference with his partner, who looked at him a little strangely for a moment before scuttling away, making his way out of the building. He was back in a few minutes, moving efficiently from man to man, passing a small item to each of them. He gave two of them additional items, giving hurried instructions.  
When he reached a Sailor Soldier, he gave each a the same item and murmured some instruction. They nodded then made their way towards Takumi. When all the Sailor Soldiers had gather Takumi told them what he wanted.  
"Is there any one of you that is really good at throwing with any kind of accuracy?" He asked, not bothering on preliminaries.  
"I am," Sailor Jupiter said without hesitation. "Why?"  
"Part of the plan. You have what I instructed Joji to give you? Good. We're going to be cutting out the lights, these are infrared goggles, you'll need them to see."  
He turned to Jupiter, and handed her two packages of white powder, "Don't break open these bags, whatever you do. I've got a plan and I need you to throw those two bags to a point high above Sakamoto's head," he pointed up at a specific point some twenty feet above the mage's head. "Can you make that throw?"  
She gave him a pugnacious grin, "Watch me."  
"Okay," he gestured them closer. "This is what I've got planned."  
He outlined the plan for them. He could see that the older Soldiers were plainly skeptical about the chance of success.  
"That's chancy," Sailor Uranus scowled. "I don't think it will work."  
"Well, if you have any bright ideas about what would work," Joji suggested, sarcastically, "we'd love to hear it. None of us have come up with a plan up until this point. If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. What harm is there in trying it?"  
"Oh, Sailor Soldiers, Yoshida, Miyake . . . ," Sakamoto's voice rolled through the warehouse. "Where'd you go? We were having so much fun."  
"What's the matter," Takumi was startled when the woman's voice called out in answer, "aren't we good enough for you, Sakamoto? Or are you afraid we'll play too rough?"  
Sakamoto laughed, contemptuously, "You play too rough? You make me laugh. This is playing rough," there was an explosion and the floor bucked beneath them.  
"Ya missed me, ya missed me, now ya gotta kiss me," the woman laughed then stopped. "Oh, wait, now that was a nauseating thought. Forget about that kiss me part. Yuck." There was a bark, as if the dog were agreeing with her.  
They heard a curse and another explosion. Takumi turned back to the Sailor Soldiers, "Well, do you agree to this or not?"  
They nodded, and each moved into place. They put on their infrared goggles, pushed up to clear their eyebrows. They might need them later.  
First the assault. Sailor Moon, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Mars, Mercury and Venus bombarded Sakamoto's shield. Attack after attack slammed into the force shield. Takumi was right, the force shield was linked to Sakamoto. He winced every time a blast hit his shielding.  
At first he flung back attacks of his own, but they impacted harmlessly against Sailor Saturn's own force shield. And so the bombardment continued, Sakamoto's shielding becoming weaker with each assault. The others waited, tensely, for their roles to play. Finally, Sakamoto's enhanced shield shattered and he was left with only the shielding he'd used before. A much weaker force, to be sure, but they knew they'd need to penetrate that too.  
The instant the shield fell, Takumi bellowed, "NOW!"  
Two cops positioned on the outer ring of men, shot out the warehouse skylights, shattered glass showering over crates and over the place were Sakamoto stood. Of course the glass bounced right off the shield, but it wasn't their intention to try and hit him with glass. They shot out several other windows. Then two other men shot out the lights. And they were plunged into darkness. Night-vison goggles were pulled into place and the darkened warehouse became visible once more.  
Sailor Jupiter drew back and launched the first bag into the air, and without a pause flung the second bag closely behind it. They sailed in a perfect arc above the startled Sakamoto. When they were right above the mage, four guns went off at once and the bags exploded, white powder pouring down on the mage. Some of it was deflected, but most of it wasn't. As the cloud of heroin particles drifted down on the mage, Takumi shouted again, "Flash bang!"  
Most of them turned away, shielding their eyes, as Sailor Mars and Venus set off a veritable barrage of attacks. They were weak actually, because they didn't even intend on their attacks reaching the mage. Two more of the cops shot at Sakamoto, but they weren't shooting guns. Instead of bullets, flares streaked towards Sakamoto, exploding on the shields right in front of the mage's face. All the while, Sailor Jupiter let loose with loud claps of thunder as she continuously let loose with her lightning attacks.  
While the attacks were useless in getting through his shield, they did what they had intended it do in the first place. He couldn't suppress gasping in surprise. And in so doing he had sucked a staggering amount of heroin into his lungs. Not quite a lethal overdose, but enough to cause an instant burning into his lungs as the drug was carried from his lungs and into his bloodstream and to his brain.  
Still, it was a few tense moments of waiting before they could see the overdose was working its effects on the mage. He staggered and cried out. His staff dropped to the floor with a loud clatter.  
Sailor Mars and Venus combined their Flame Sniper and Crescent Beam to break through the force shield. It was only a matter of minutes before their combined attack broke the shield. Sailor Saturn leapt forward, swinging her glave in an unerring arc. Not to strike at the mage, but to strike his staff, the blade of the glave shattering the ornately decorated top. Sakamoto struck with unbelievable swiftness, backhanding Saturn away from his staff.  
"Sailor Moon!" Takumi hissed, but she was already moving. It seemed to him as if the very air had begun to thicken. He could feel the energy build-up as Sailor Moon began her attack. She spoke not a word as power poured from her scepter.  
It struck Sakamoto with the power of a thousand freight trains. It stripped him of his ability move, think, feel. When it was all said and done, he lay on the ground, blackened and smoking. As they stared down at the immobile figure, as if this were a thing that was too good to be true.  
And they were right.  
Sakamoto twitched, one arm pushing himself up. He staggered to his feet, blackened, smoking and enraged. His eyes literally blazed with power and rage, and his voice rough sliced through the air, "It will take a lot more than that to finish me off, little girl. You are way out of your league, and I'm going to make you pay for it."  
There was a boom, as two guns went off at the same time. And two red holes appeared in Sakamoto's forehead as a surprised expression overtook his features. Not another word came from his lips as he fell backwards, dead.  
Takumi lowered his gun, looking across at Joji as he did the same. They looked at each other, grimly, and nodded to each other.  
They may have been out of their league, but in the end, Sakamoto was just as human as the rest of them.  
  
Tia's eyes snapped open as her body jerked. She stared up the ceiling with unseeing eyes. Eyes which had that same eerie peridot glow. She jerked again, then said, "It's over."  
After making that pronouncement, her eyes closed and her breathing deepened into sleep. Ronnie and Nancy, watching over her, looked at each other and nodded. They settled back in their chairs, and waited for their Tia to come back to them.  
  
  
PART 23  
  
Tia was sitting on a an old, battered fainting couch, bare feet curled under her, a guitar sitting on her lap, marking notes on staff paper. It felt good here, sitting in the sun, on the side porch to her little house, with the sun glittering off the pond in the middle of Takumi's back yard. The couch was a comfortable one, and Tia was determined to ask Takumi for the couch. It was very old, and one could see in it quality workmanship, although it was battered and the upholstery was ripped and mended inexpertly. The upholstery had probably once been some atrocious, uncomfortable dark reddish color but had faded to a sort of light, washed out rose color. She thought it would look quite pretty restored, and stuffed a little more could be just as comfortable as it was now.  
She was frowning a bit over the measure she was working on, unsure about the tempo and dynamics of it, when she notice movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over and saw the black end of a cat tail. She smiled , putting aside her guitar and made some clucking sounds, "Here, kitty. I see you there."  
Luna jumped up on the couch, her best cat-face in place. She meowed, cheerfully, padding over to Tia who had her hand out. Once Luna was in range, she scooped the little cat up, and Luna found herself in the curve of Tia's arm, having the backs of her ears scratched. She closed her eyes in pleasure, a low purr rolling from her throat. Tia lavished Luna with attention for a few minutes, a slight smile on her face.  
"Well, little Luna, I remember you," she said softly. "You know, this is probably the last time I'll see you. You know, I'm going back to America in a few days. I can't stay, now, you know. Not with the way things stand. I mean, I know Ryu Sakamoto is gone and those two freaks aren't going to bother me again, that's for sure. Not after what I did to them. But I can't stay. You see, I'm going to have Yaten's baby," she smiled again as she felt the tiny start the cat in her arms again. "But I can't be with him. I can't, I won't be a burden on him. Never. So I'm going home," she sighed, her eyes misty. But she wasn't going to cry, and with an iron will, suppressed the tears which threatened. She stroked Luna for a few moments more before putting the little cat aside. She began gathering up her papers, pen and guitar, "You should be getting home. It's going on three o'clock and snack-time's rolling around. I'll bet Usagi's mom has a treat for you."  
Luna jumped down from the couch, and, cat-like, started to pad away. Tia stuck her head around the corner of her door, "Oh, Luna?" She waited till the little cat turned her head, hesitating, and the girl called out, "Be a dear and tell Usagi and the rest of the girls I'd like them to drop by this afternoon, will you?" The girl winked one amethyst eye and grinned as she watched the most human like expression of flabbergasted astonishment pass over Luna's face  
and the cat's black fur stand on end for an instant.  
  
"It was downright mortifying to know the girl knew about me all the time," Luna felt her face burning. "I wonder how she figured it out."  
"Probably deductive reasoning," Artemis muttered to himself. "She said she wanted to be a private detective, didn't she? And her IQ is at least comparable to Ami's. It wouldn't have taken her a great deal of trouble to put the clues together."  
"Still, it was a bit unnerving," Luna shivered for a moment. "After all, she didn't disguise the fact that she was calling to me. If anyone had overheard it. . . ."  
"They would have thought she was a bit out of her gourd for speaking like that to a cat," Artemis shook his head. "Don't worry too much about it, no one heard."  
"Thank goodness for small favors," Luna gave a short sigh of relief at that. "If one of the enemy had heard, we would've all been down the river without a boat."  
  
Tia was once again sitting on the fainting couch, when she saw Usagi and the gang walking towards her house. She waited until they came close enough before calling out to them, "I've been waiting for you."  
They all came, grim expressions on their faces. They presented a unified front to her. Tia stared at them for a moment before bursting out with laughter, "You're so grim. Don't look as if I were going to blackmail you. I'm not."  
"How do we know we can trust you?" Rei snapped, eyes narrowed suspiciously.  
"It would violate my code of honor," Tia smiled slightly. "We MacKenzies are nothing if not honorable. Besides, I've known about you since the night at the club. If I had wanted to blackmail you for some reason, I would have already. I'm not one to let opportunity to pass me by."  
"But why tell us? If you weren't planning on blackmailing us, why?" Ami frowned at her.  
"Because you're my friends," Tia shook her head. "And friends don't have secrets between them, do they?"  
"Do you have a secret to tell us?" Makoto asked, still suspicious.  
"Oh, Usagi knows my little secret, don't you?"  
"Yes," Usagi sat down next to Tia. "You're pregnant with Yaten's child."  
Tia let loose a peal of laughter at their astonished expressions, "Now I've done it. But this has to stay between us. Promise me you won't tell anyone else. There are reasons I can't go into right now, but this really has to stay between us."  
The girls, though still stunned by the news all nodded their assent. Tia relaxed a little against the couch. Ami was frowning again, and she asked, "But why tell us now?"  
"Because I've decided to return to America," Tia dropped that bomb and grinned.  
"But what about Yaten? And the baby?" Mina sat on the edge of the porch. "Doesn't he have a right to know?"  
"He knows already. I told him several weeks ago, while I was still in the hospital. Taiki and Seiya know also," Tia shook her head, with a gusty sigh escaping her lips. "Yaten doesn't know that I'm leaving yet. But I think he'll understand why I have to leave. There are personal reasons, of course, but what do you think the school board will try to do if I continued on here  
and they found out?" She didn't continue because it was quite clear the other girls knew quite well what would happen.  
"When do you leave?" Usagi asked now.  
"The day after tomorrow."  
"So soon?"  
She nodded, "It's best I do it right away. Make a clean break. If I don't do it now, I don't think I'll be able to force myself to leave later on."  
"Well, then, I guess we'll have to throw you an emergency going away party tomorrow won't we?"  
"Oh, boy," Tia stared in surprise at Usagi. "I don't expect you to throw a party for me."  
"Rubbish," Usagi grinned, "we're friends, aren't we? Well, you know friends do things like that for friends."  
Tia laughed, shaking her head. It was so easy for Usagi to accept when she knew. She probably would've been a little more disturbed, herself, at the revelations she'd just put before this other girl. She truly was one of a kind, "Make it the day I leave and you've got a deal. I've got some things I've got to clear up first."  
"One thing, though," Makoto asked, faint lines between her eyebrows. "How did you figure out who we were?"  
"Oh, you can blame that on Artemis and Luna," Tia grinned, it was probably best not to tell them the truth of the matter on that score. "You see, when you become the Sailor Soldiers, you look a lot different than your normal selves. But Luna and Artemis don't transform and therefore look exactly alike when they accompany you on your missions. And the fact that they've been trailing me for some time, probably since the day I inadvertently discovered the connection between their and your," she nodded at Usagi, "names. And whenever I got into some sort of trouble after meeting them, you guys showed up, it became easy to figure out what the clues meant."  
"And that's our weak link," Makoto sighed.  
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it too much," Tia shook her head. "More than likely, anyone you're going to be dealing with isn't really going to make the connection. I only figured it out over time, when the clues that had been sitting in front of me finally clicked. They'd probably need a great deal of contact with you as your civilian identities and well as your Soldier personas. They would also have to know about both Artemis and Luna, and have made the  
connection with your names. I mean, have you noticed? All of your names seem to deal with some aspect of your Soldier personas.  
"Now, if anyone made any connections with those seemingly random clues then you'd really be in trouble. But the problem with that is, no one really stops to question certain things, Most people see and believe what they want an never see what is.."  
  
The full moon was high and full as it beamed down on Tokyo that night.  
Tia gripped the railings on Tokyo Tower and gazed down at the city spread out beneath her. The wind whipped her hair about, but she didn't seem to notice or mind. She simply continued to stare down at the light show below.  
"You're late," she smiled, calling out to the four people who now stood behind her.  
"And you're good," Haruka slid from the deep shadow. "Not many people would've been able to hear us coming, standing in the wind like you are."  
"Oh, you'd be surprised at what I'm capable of," she smiled grimly, turning to face them, indolently leaning back against the railings.  
"So was there a particular reason you called out here?" Michiru materialized next to her partner, her characteristic smiled on her face.  
"Yes, of course there is," Tia's smile became as condescending as Michiru's. "You see, I've been remiss in my manners. I didn't thank you when you charged in like the calvary that night in the hospital," her smile widened as the two standing in the moonlight blinked in surprise. Obviously the others had neglected to mention a few things to these four. Her grin became a grin, then she laughed out loud, "Michiru, you know, you shouldn't use that pose so much, it's a sure-fire giveaway."  
Michiru snatched her hand away from her face and Tia nearly doubled over in laughter, "Oh, my goodness, did you actually believe that's what it was? Don't be so literal-minded! There were a lot of things that tipped me off. Most of it just this and that and rest was just good, old-fashioned deductive reasoning. All the pieces fit. That's all."  
She looked back out at the city, silent for a moment, "I wanted to thank you. And ask a favor of you."  
"And what favor would that be?" Setsuna left eyebrow rose.  
"Well, now there's the rub. I know you're not the greatest fans of the Three Lights," her lips quirked at the mulish expression that came over Haruka's face, "but I would like you to keep any eye out on them for me. Especially Yaten. You see, I'm in love with him, and I'm going to have his baby," her grin reappeared at their expressions. "Oh, sorry, did I drop a bomb on you? And that's why I want you to look after him."  
"And if we don't? Or if we find out that he's one of the Enemy and have to deal with him. What will you do then?" Haruka watched her through narrowed eyes.  
Almost leisurely she pushed away from the railing and took a few steps towards Haruka. She was shorter than the other woman by at least half a foot, and so couldn't stand eye to eye with her, but it sure didn't seem like it to the other woman. She swallowed as she looked into Tia's eyes. When the girl spoke, she spoke in such a low voice the Haruka had to lean in towards her.  
"If something happens to him, something that could've been prevented by your intervention," she stopped for a moment as another thought occurred to her, "or if you do anything, anything at all to harm him, and I find out about it. . . . Believe me, there will be no place you can go, no place you can hide from me. Do you understand?"  
Haruka backed away from her then, astonishment written on her face. Tia didn't say anything further. She turned from them, obviously having got her point across. The four didn't speak to her, to stop her. They had been chilled to the bone as she had been speaking to them. It hadn't been her words, or her voice or the determination in her voice. It had been the change.  
As she spoke, her manner had changed completely. The inflection of her voice, and eventually that had changed too. By the end of her statement, her eyes had literally glowed an eerie green.  
They realized that it was no longer Tia who had been speaking to them, but someone who was speaking through her. The one who had spoken to them in the hospital before sending them to join their companions. And they knew that person could do exactly what they were promising.  
  
Tia spent the much of the next day packing and boxing up her possessions. She'd even talked Takumi into letting her have the fainting couch on the porch, although he'd looked at her like she'd taken leave of all her senses. She arranged for her things to be shipped to her home in the States. When the last of her possessions had been sent off with the delivery company, she stared at the living room, now totally devoid of any personal effects. It seemed empty somehow, sterile.  
She shook off her melancholy. If she didn't so something, she'd end up a total watering pot by the end of the day.  
She did some additional spot cleaning, then went over to the main house. She spent the rest of the day playing with her sister's kids and with Takumi and Nikki.  
When she helped put her youngest niece down for her nap, she stared down at the contented little girl snuggled contentedly in her arms with an arrested look on her face. She'd done this dozens of times before, but she'd never been pregnant before, either. And she realized that she'd be doing this someday soon with a little girl or little boy of her own soon. As she stared down at the sleepy face of her niece, she faced the enormity of what she was going to be facing hit her. She sat there, tenderly holding the little girl, with equal parts fear and joy chasing themselves around inside her head. She felt her eyes tearing up again and didn't know if she was going to be able to keep them from flowing this time.  
But she did, she managed to keep them behind her lids until after she tucked the little girl into her bed. She stared down a peacefully sleeping girl's face for a moment then went to the bathroom and locked herself in.  
Then she burst into tears. She cried herself out for a good ten minutes. She stared at her tear-stained face for a while. She shook her head before quietly making repairs to her face. She washed her face, waiting until the evidence of tears were eliminated from her face and faded from her eyes before leaving the bathroom.  
She made sure that Takumi and Nikki were in the den before picking up the phone in the kitchen. She made a short phone call. She spoke for less than two minutes with whoever it was who answered the phone. She put the phone back on its charger and stared into space for a moment. She shook her head, then went to spend a little while longer with her family.  
  
An hour later, she was curled up on her couch reading a novel, when there came a knock on her door.  
  
  
PART TWENTY-FOUR  
  
Tia opened the door to find Yaten standing on her doorstep. She didn't say anything as she stood aside and let him in. She closed the door and locked it behind her before turning to follow him into the livingroom.  
There was an awkward silence for a moment before Yaten held out his hand. She reached out and laced her fingers through his and she sighed. He smiled, sadly, at her, "I have some idea what this is about. You're going back to America aren't you?"  
She nodded, smiling slightly, "Yes. I really don't have any choice in the matter, any way you look at it," she gestured to the couch and they both sat down on it. She settled herself into the curve of his arm, "The school system runs on the moral foundations of the country. Not that that's a bad thing, all in all, but it basically means that an unwed mother is looked on with a great deal of disapproval and an unwed teen mother. . . .Lord knows. I really don't think I could handle the censure at this point, I'd probably fall apart. Anyway, there are some good programs in America for pregnant teenagers if I decide to go back to the public school system. But, I'll probably just get home schooling.  
"As for you, you're fighting a war that started halfway across the galaxy, for crying out loud. If your enemies found out about me. . . ," she let the sentence trail off and Yaten felt a chill crawl up his spine, since he could well imagine what could happen to her if the enemy found out about her and used her against him. "It's safer for me and for our child if we were out of the picture." Her breath caught in her throat, "I don't know if I'll be strong enough. . . ."  
Hearing her pain, he pulled her into a tight embrace, "I'm so sorry. So sorry to cause you so much pain."  
Her chuckle was watery, "Why are you trying to take all the blame, moron? I went into this knowing who and what you are, silly. My eyes were wide open and awake," she squirmed around in his embrace, until her eyes were on a level with his, "I don't know if I'll be strong enough to do this on my own, but I will endure, I promise you. I can as long as I know you love  
me."  
"I do," he whispered thickly. "I love you so much it hurts looking at you sometimes. I don't know if I can let you go."  
"You will," she leaned her forehead against his. "You have as much choice in this matter as I do. You'll be strong enough to let me go."  
"Am I really?" he sighed, looping his arms around her waist. "I have my doubts about that. I may just follow you home."  
"Don't you dare, you fool," she pulled back and hit his chest with her fist. "My brothers would chop you into mincemeat before you had a chance to explain."  
"Oh, god," there were tears in his voice now. "I can't even promise you anything. I can't even promise to come back to you."  
"I know," she buried her face against his neck. "I don't need you to promise me anything except one thing. . . ."  
"What's that?"  
"That you'll love me; wherever this path leads you, however far you go, even if you find someone else, that you'll love me, in some way, and remember how very much I love you."  
He smiled, his eyes misty with tears, "That's probably the only promise I can give you."  
They were quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Tia wiped the tears from her cheeks and stood up. She reached down and pulled Yaten to his feet.  
"Where are we going?"  
She turned to him and smiled, "We have one night, Yaten. I don't intend on wasting any more of it with words."  
At her words, his eyes smouldered. He pulled her back into his embrace. His lips met hers in such a tender kiss, tears slid down her cheeks before she knew it.  
Then an odd thought popped into her head and she laughed, unexpectedly, against his lips, "Well, at least we can't get into any more trouble than we already are in."  
  
Yaten twitched, the sound of birds disturbing his sleep. He eyes blinked open, still unfocused from sleep.  
The first thing that registered was that he definitely wasn't in his own bed. He blinked again, frowning slightly as his sleep-befuddled mind struggled to process his surroundings.  
Then he froze. He definitely wasn't alone in this strange bed. His eyes came to rest on Tia's sleeping face. His breath caught in this throat at the sight of her. It was as if he kept forgetting how beautiful she was to him and was constantly surprised when he saw her again.  
Watching her, he wondered if he were insane. In a few short hours, she would be boarding a plane bound for America and be flying out of his life. Maybe forever. Would he-could he-let her go? For an instant, he entertained the fantasy of sweeping her away, refusing to let her board that plane-or of following her to America, of bringing her back with him, and marrying her out of hand.  
He shook his head, coming back to reality and laughed silently. Now he really was one of those idiot heroes in those romance novels Usagi liked so much. But there might not be a happy ending to this story.  
Suddenly he couldn't stand not looking into her eyes. So he bent over her and kissed her into wakefulness. When he raised his head, she was looking at him, with glittering, smoky eyes. She smiled, running her fingertips over his lips.  
"Good morning," a soft sigh escaped her lips. "I like this, waking up with you."  
"It's only this one time," his voice was soft with something akin to grief.  
"Maybe," she cupped his face, kissing him softly. "But it's still nice. We've only got a few more hours and I don't want to waste any time with regrets. All that matters to me is that we're here together right now," then she smiled widely. "And I don't intend on wasting it one bit. Time to get up."  
He blinked, bewildered, staring at her as she rolled out of bed, stark naked and comfortable in her own skin, "Did I miss something here?"  
She grinned over her shoulder, impishly, "Do you realize that even with all the time that we've spent together, that we've never actually been on a date? And you know, I don't intend on not having even one. So get up and get dressed, because, we gotta get out of here, before my brother-in-law catches you here. Besides my plane is scheduled to leave at four and the girls will be here for my party by one. That gives us," she peered at the clock, whose dial read 7:23, "just over five and a half hours."  
She stopped, hands on her hips, "Well? What're you waiting for, you silly boy? If Takumi catches you here, he'll gut you and that's no joke," she chuckled as the bed covers went flying. She grinned even wider, as she admired the sight of his naked body. A bigger grin spread over her face as an idea popped into her head.  
She hurried into a sun dress with some sandals. She combed out her hair and gathered it up against the back of her head, fixing it into a ponytail. She debated for half a second about braiding as usual, but shook her head.  
Then she dove into the back of her closet, grabbing a empty shopping bag. She dashed over to where Yaten was dressing and snatched up his jacket, cufflinks and tie, and stuffing them into the bag, despite his adamant complaint about wrinkles. She countered, laughingly, that he could afford the dry-cleaning. She also snatched his hair tie from his fingers. She had no intention of letting him assume his superstar identity. She combed the tangles out of his hair, then lifted his hair high above their heads--sneaking in a toe-curling kiss while she did this-and let it fall in a cloud around them.  
She caught her breath as his hair settled around them. The long, silver locks falling loosely about his face redefined his features. Making him almost look like a totally different person. Her fingertips danced, momentarily, around his face along his hair, before she stepped back. The locks of hair that had fallen over her clung to her for a moment, then fell against his chest.  
"That's better," she smiled, sliding a pair of dark, sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.  
"Why is this better?" he slid the glasses back down so he could stare at her over the lenses.  
"Because you're all mine this way," she grinned, laying a finger on the tip of his nose. "None of your adoring public has ever seen you this way. They wouldn't even recognize you. So, no giggling, screaming groupies mobbing you. Today I want you all to myself."  
  
It was nice, Yaten reflected later as he stared down at the half-eaten chocolate ice cream cone in his hand, not having to deal with teeming fans. Because Tia had been right, none of his fans had ever seen him with his hair down and none of them recognized him. Amazing that such a small change could make such a big difference in appearance.  
He caught the frankly admiring gaze of an older woman and grinned at her over his glasses. The woman gave him an amused smile an instant before Tia's elbow slammed into his ribs. The woman's smile widened into a grin as the air whooshed from his lungs. When he glanced over at Tia, her eyes were gleaming; she wasn't jealous, exactly, but she was putting him in his place.  
Amusement threaded through her voice as she asked him from behind her butter toffee crunch ice cream cone, "Soooo, should I leave you two alone?"  
A smile played on his lips as he shook his head. He slid his free arm around her waist, bringing her close to his side. He felt her tense in surprise and then relax against him. He found he really enjoyed sharing such intimacy with her. He hadn't let anyone get so close to him in a long time and he'd forgotten how nice it was. On impulse, his head swooped down and he stole a kiss, throughly enjoying the traces of ice cream lingering on her lips.  
When he lifted his head, her eyes were wide; finally he'd managed to surprise her. Her voice was slightly breathless as she asked, "What was that all about?"  
"Oh," he smiled again, looking out across the park, "nothing in particular."  
Her eyebrow rose, her lips pursed and she shook her head as if exasperated. But she didn't say anything, only laying her head against his shoulder. They walked in a companionable silence for a while.  
He'd just finished licking melted ice cream from his fingers when Tia yanked him forward. He laughingly protested as she dragged him willy-nilly across the park. Her only answer was to smile and pull on him harder. Suddenly, they were surrounded by music and laughing, dancing couples.  
She whirled to face him, "Dance with me. The last time we danced, we were weighted down by all that mess between us. Just dance with me this time, without the complications from before and right now."  
His fingers brushed her face and he smiled faintly, "Shall we set this place on its collective ear?"  
"I'd rather set this place on fire," the corner of her mouth lifted. "But since there are children resent, we can hardly do that, can we?"  
In answer, he took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. They danced, as if they'd been partners for years. No hesitation, they communicated with no words, just a look, or some movement, or even just by reading each other's minds. Each move flowed smoothly into the next. Soon they were surrounded by a crowd of admiring onlookers.   
They danced, ignoring everyone around them, focusing only on each other, and the movements of the dance. And for a little while, they forgot everything that had passed between them and everything that would keep them apart.  
  
Tia stared thoughtfully into the window of a fine jewelry shop. Yaten moved in close to her side, peering at the selection in the window over her shoulder. He became slightly distracted at the scent of her hair, making him smile wryly. He shook his head, gently, and asked, "What's got you so fascinated?"  
"There," she pointed at one of the necklace displays, "that pendant. It's beautiful."  
He looked at the pendant, "That it is. Why do you like it?"  
"It reminds me of you," there was a smile in her voice. "A shooting star."  
It was a small pendant, not much longer than an inch. Three diamonds set in gold with a spray of smaller diamonds to create the tail of the shooting star.  
Silently, he took her hand and led her into the store. The sales clerk stared skeptically at them, but obligingly took the shooting star pendant off the displace and allowed Tia a closer look. She stared at if for so long, the clerk started to fidget. Wordlessly, she produced her credit card, and gave the woman a long stare.  
Soon they were back on the street, Tia clutching the small package in her hand. Absently her fingers brushed the velvet case the pendant now rested in. She was silent the rest of the way back to her house. So silent that Yaten glanced at her worriedly all the long walk.  
When she closed the door behind them, Yaten grasped her shoulders, "What's the matter?"  
"Besides the obvious?" she smiled at him, taking his hand and leading him into the living room. "Just sad."  
Releasing his hand, her fingers brushed the velvet case again. She stared down at it for a moment, then snapped it open. Her fingertips danced lightly over the glittering pendant for a second, before lifting it from its velvet bed. She tossed the case onto the couch, completely forgetting about it. She stared at the pendant a moment more, then looked at Yaten with eyes glittered as brightly as the diamonds hanging from her fingertips. Without a word, she looped the gold chain over Yaten's head, settling the chain around his neck and the pendant now rested over his sternum.  
He stared down at the pendant in surprise, raising brilliant eyes to Tia's, "Why? I thought you bought it for yourself."  
"You are my shooting star, Yaten. I don't need a reminder of that," her hand came down on top of the pendant. "This is merely a reminder of me for you. I hope, that every time you look at it, that you're reminded of me and what you mean to me."  
His hands closed over the one on his chest, "I love you. And I'll keep this safe, I promise."  
Silently, she leaned her head on his shoulder, allowing him to keep possession of her hand. She was content merely to listen to his heartbeat. Her eyes glistened as brightly as the diamonds winking on his chest.  
  
Tia stared at the brightly wrapped gifts on her lap and scattered around her, "You know I didn't expect gifts from you when I agreed to this."  
"Why, because of what you revealed to us?" Luna said, sitting on the table. "Pish. You aren't a bad person and we all like you very well. So why shouldn't we get you a gift?"  
Tia couldn't help but stare, fascinated, as the little black cat spoke to her. It was one thing know that this little cat was intelligent. But as clear evidence as the cat speaking to her was still difficult to wrap her mind around. And would take a much longer time for her to get used to than she still had here.  
"You're our friend after all," Makoto smiled at her, setting a tray of absolutely mouth watering looking pastries on the table, which promptly set Usagi to drooling. "And that's the kind of thing you do for friends, right?"  
"Well, a gift is one thing," the corner of Tia's lip quirked up, "but the multiple is another matter."  
"I don't know why you're having such a hard time accepting these gifts," Usagi stood, hand on her hips, staring down in fond exasperation.  
"Maybe," Seiya grinned, facetiously, at her, "she's just greedy but doesn't want to seem like it."  
He was struck by two bolsters thrown from two directions. Such was their weight and velocity that they literally felled him. When he sat up and pushed the pillows aside, he found Tia sticking her tongue out at him and Yaten glaring, fixedly, at him from across the room. He grinned weekly, smoothing his rumpled hair, "Ah-hah. Maybe not."  
Usagi shook her head at him, as exasperated at him as she was at Tia," "Oh, would you just get up? Honestly, Seiya-kun, sometimes I wonder about you."  
"Oh?" Seiya grinned an entirely different grin this time. "Wonder anything good?"  
A remark that went right over Usagi's head, but which made Tia stand, stalk over to the bolsters still lying on the floor, pick it up and broadside Seiya with it. She scowled at him as he grinned up at her from the floor, "Behave yourself, Seiya-kun."  
"Now why should I?" his grin widened. "You didn't. No! No! Wait," he laughed, throwing up his arms as Tia threatened him with the bolster again, "I'll behave! I'll behave, I promise."  
She shook her head, laughing exasperated, and helped him to his feet. She rumpled his hear, playfully, over his protests, commenting, "Serves you right after making those comments. Really, Seiya-kun, did you actually think she'd get it, the innocent that she so obviously is? Sheesh."  
The mood lightened considerably after that. Tia didn't quibble about receiving gifts and Seiya did behave himself. For the most part. It was after all, in his nature to be a little fractious. Especially if Haruka was present. And she was and he just had to provoke her.  
They were more comfortable, it's true. But it didn't make them any less aware of the strain between Yaten and Tia. As the afternoon wore on, the tension between the two increased. Despite the happy front Tia put on and despite the indifferent face Yaten wore, they all knew that the two were more devastated by Tia's imminent departure than either let on or might have even admitted to themselves.  
Tia resisted the urge to clutch at her chest. It hurt so much and wasn't getting any better. She knew it would be unbearable by the time she had to leave and wondered how she was going to handle it.  
Yaten wasn't in any better condition than Tia. His fingers clutched convulsively at the pendant she'd given him. His chest was tight and it felt as if someone was slowly drawing his heart from his chest. As strange as it seemed, he had the odd notion that if he just pressed his hand tightly enough against his chest, that it would stop his heart from being ripped out.  
All too soon it came time for her to leave. Takumi had arranged for a stretch limousine large enough to carry all her friends to the airport with her. Tia impulsively embraced her brother-in-law in gratitude.  
Yaten caught her wrist as she climbed into the limousine and pulled her into the seat next to him. He glared a grinning Seiya, but didn't say a world. He pulled her into his embrace, burying his face in her fiery hair. She laid her head against his chest, content to listen to his heart. This might be her last chance to do so, and she wasn't to lose it.  
She caught Usagi watching them worriedly. She caught the other girl's eye and smiled, reassuringly. Usagi smiled back, but she could tell the other girl wasn't any less worried.  
The others were surprised when the limousine bypassed the main airport building. Instead it took a route that led directly to the airfield. It slid silently to a halt in front of the gate. Takumi and Nikki were already there to meet them. As were the Captain and Co-Pilot, who introduced themselves, then excused themselves to board the plane.  
Tia took a few minutes to say farewell to her sister and brother-in-law. She smiled at her sister's whispered promise to see her soon. She grinned when Takumi leaned down and murmured, "Now, little sister, if I find out you've pulled another stunt like you did with Sakamoto again, I will hunt you down and put you over my knee."  
She stared at him a moment, blinked and laughed, "I should've figured you'd know who tipped you off. I've had it with crime fighting for now," she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him again. "All I want to do now is concentrate on my baby."  
He gave her a squeeze then set her aside, "Now go say goodbye to your friends."  
She smiled at him, then went over to where her friends stood talking quietly. It was hard, saying goodbye to these people. Somehow they'd woven themselves to tightly into the fabric of her life that she couldn't imagine what it would be like without them. She spoke with each privately, giving a simple personal farewell.  
She wrapped her arms tightly around Usagi, "I'm going to miss you so much. I don't think you realize just how much your friendship has meant to me."  
Usagi stared at her for a moment, "Are you sure you're all right with this? There must be a way. . . ."  
Tia shook her head, smiling gently, "This is my solution, Usagi. It might not be the right decision; there might be another solution, but I'll take care of my own troubles," she reached up and brushed Usagi's hair from her eyes. "You can't solve all the world's problems, my dear. This is such a small thing, and will work itself out. You have larger problems to solve. Don't worry so much. You'll get grey hair," she caught the look on the other girl's face. "It'll turn out all right. I know it will," she hugged Usagi again. "Now I'm counting on you Usagi, to look after him for me. I've got your number and I'll call you and let you know how things are going for me."  
She'd said a rather stilted goodbye to Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru and Setsuna. The really didn't say much, just a polite goodbye and the shaking of hands. Tia sensed wariness from them and wondered at it. She didn't remember the threat she'd made, because it had been someone else making the threat through her. The same person who'd transported them from the hospital to the warehouse the night of the confrontation with Sakamoto.  
Seiya and Taiki said their goodbyes apart from Yaten. They knew the pair would want to their farewells alone.  
Taiki took her hand, his lips quirked, "You know, maybe I won't be so soft in the head anymore. You really have that effect on people, you know."  
She laughed, gently, "That's not necessarily a bad thing, my dear."  
"For him it is," Seiya laughed. "You were a good influence on him, in a way. It's easier to get through to him now, I think," he stared down at her in silence for a moment. "You were an especially good influence on Yaten. You made him more alive, you know. More vibrant. I don't think he's been like that for a long, long time now. Certainly, not since this whole war started."  
"Is that so?" Tia turned to look at Yaten.  
Seiya embraced her from behind, murmuring into her ear, "You could stay. Try and work this out."  
"We would defend you against the Enemy," Taiki was looking at Yaten, a small smile playing about his lips. "It would make him happy. We didn't do all that bad a job last time. Until the end, that is."  
"I think," Tia's voice was thick with tears as she turned and hugged first Seiya and then Taiki, "that is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. And was the kindest thing to offer," she brushed the tears from her cheeks, "but it wouldn't work. I couldn't live with the fear and it wouldn't be fair to him or you if I accepted your offer."  
They stared at her a moment solemnly a moment before nodding their heads in agreement. They each took a hand and gave it a squeeze. She gave them a watery smile, then turned to Yaten.  
She blinked, surprised, as she faced the empty space where Yaten had stood a moment before. She took a few steps towards that place, feeling suddenly bereft, and unable to think where he could have gone. But then she felt the warmth of his presence behind her. Her hands covered her heart, which suddenly seemed to be beating once more. His hands came down on her shoulders, urging her to face him.  
They stared at each other for a long time, neither saying a word. It was as if they were suddenly shy, despite how much they'd gone through together.  
Her hand reached up, touching his hair, as wistful light in her eyes. His public persona was in place again. She couldn't help but wish that her Yaten was here again.  
"Well, take care," she cursed herself for sounding is inane. "Dammit! I'm making a muck of this."  
He smiled gently, his eyes beginning to swim with tears, "No, it's understandable. I don't quite know how to do this myself. It might just be best not to drag this out. Just go. Before I try to stop you."  
Quickly she put a hand to his face, "Goodbye."  
She snatched her hand away as if the touch of his skin scalded. She backed away then turned and walked away.  
Yaten stared after her, feeling as if he was suffocating. He wanted to yell at her to stop. To make her stop; to stay with him. His hands fisted at his sides and his muscles grew taut with the effort of resisting following her.  
Tia's eyes burned with tears she was fighting not to shed. She couldn't breathe; it was like there was a tight band around her chest. What she wanted more than anything was to stay, but she couldn't. She couldn't.  
She realized, abruptly, she didn't want to leave this way. She stopped mid-stride, here eyes wide, staring at nothing. She whirled around to stare at Yaten.  
Yaten felt that he would remember this image of her forever. Her fiery hear fanning out around her, the swing of fabric emphasizing her figure. But most of all, the expression on her face.  
They stood, stock-still, gazing at each other. Then Tia was reaching towards him. She threw herself at him, trusting him to catch her. He staggered under the force of her weight, his arms closing protectively around her. There were tears now, coursing down both their faces.  
"I love you, I love you, I love you," they were both saying at the same time, holding onto each other for dear life. Their lips met in a long passionate kiss.  
And when they broke from the kiss, she laid her tear stained cheek next his and whispered, "I'll wait for you. For eternity if need be. I'll be waiting for you to come to me."  
"I love you," he whispered back, both of them know this was as much of a promise as he could give her.  
They held on to one another, their hearts breaking. After a time, Tia pulled away. The stared at each other for a moment. They smiled, despite the tears still streaming down their faces, and began backing away. Her right hand and his left clasped together. They continued to bak away until only their hands touched. For an instant, their hands tightened convulsively, as if refusing to let go. They stood that way for the longest time, until their hands just slipped free. They took a few steps backwards staring at on another before they both turned and walked away.  
  
Yaten didn't stay to watch the plane leave. He couldn't. He just couldn't. So he left. Hailed a taxi and told the driver to take him to his apartment. He felt the tears he'd shed, drying on his cheeks, but he didn't scrub at them. He just stared out at the city at it sped by. He wasn't thinking really. If he did, he'd break down.  
When he got to the apartment, the manager hailed him. The man gave him a small envelop, "This was delivered by special courier not long after you left."  
Yaten thanked the man, absently, staring down at Tia's hand writing on the envelop. He didn't open it right away. He waited until he was in the relative privacy of his bedroom until he opened it. There wasn't a note, just a few sheets of music, a jewel case and a gold CD gleaming up at him from his hand. He stared at it for a long moment before slipping the CD into his stereo system.  
There came the first strains of a song, then Tia's voice lifted above the music and Yaten's heart skipped:  
  
  
I knew from the moment I met you,  
There was something special there.  
Something like love between us two,  
But never knew how much I'd care  
  
You made my spirit soar,  
Made my heart fly.  
I could touch the nearest star,  
Sent me higher than high  
  
Before I knew what happened,  
You were deep within my heart  
How can I say how very much I love you?  
Don't even know where to start.  
  
You can't know how you make me feel,  
But the love you give me is so real.  
  
There are no words I know,  
That can explain how much you mean to me.  
No way I could say how I love you so.  
There has to be a way to make you see.  
  
Who you are doesn't mean a thing.  
All that matters to me,  
Is the way you make my heart sing.  
This is how we were meant to be.  
  
Before I knew what happened,  
You were deep within my heart.  
How can I say how very much I love you?  
Don't even know where to start.  
  
You can't know how you make me feel,  
But the love you give me is so real.  
  
Before I knew. . . .  
And the enormity of the day suddenly hit him, driving him to his knees. He clutched is abdomen, as he shivered in reaction. He couldn't see, he couldn't hear, didn't even know that tears were streaming down his face once more.  
All he could do is feel the pain in his heart and in his soul.  
  
"Miss McKenzie?" Tia looked up at the flight attendant for her grandfather's plane. "You can unfasten your seatbelt now. The young gentleman at the airport asked me to give this to you when we were in the air. He told me it was important," she was holding a plain wrapped package out to Tia.  
She stared at it for a moment then took it from the flight attendant with a quiet thank you. She assured the flight attendant she was fine and didn't need anything. She unbuckled the seatbelt and retreated to her sleeping cabin, firmly closing the door behind her and locked it.  
She stared at the package in silence; she'd known instantly which "young gentleman" the flight attendant had meant, of course. She didn't know if she wanted to open it, but how could she not?  
Her fingers trembled as she peeled off the plain paper to reveal a velvet covered box, similar to the one that Yaten's pendant came in. Her still-trembling fingers caressed the lid, hesitated, then snapped open the lid.  
Inside was a gold locket. Roughly the size of her thumbnail, it had a tiny shooting star engraved on it. A diamond set into the center of the star and tiny diamond set at the ends of its tail.  
She smiled, unexpectedly, brushing the star with a gentle fingertip. Then she opened the locket at stared down at its contents. On one side a miniature picture of Yaten stared out a her, a loving smile on his face; she realized he must have found a picture booth to take the picture, since she could tell it was not a professional job. And on the other side, secured together with a thin golden thread, was a coiled lock of silver hair. She stared at it for the longest time, running her finger over the silken strands. She snapped the locket closed, removed the locket from the box and secured it around her throat.  
As it settled into the hollow of her throat, a tormented cry escaped her lips. She leaned back against the door, then sank down to the floor. Her body was wracked with convulsive shudders and tears streamed down her face again. She wrapped her arms around her middle and buried her faced against her knees.  
All she knew now, was the emptiness filling her entire being.  
  
Two hearts, connected by love, cried out at their loss and their souls knew only anguish.  
  
Not the end . . . ?  



	6. Chapter 26

CATCH A SHOOTING STAR  
  
RATING:R  
  
STORY BY: Jeanne Stumbaugh  
  
DISCLAIMER:Sailor Moon and related characters are the property of their creator. It is not the intent of this author to profit by their use.  
  
Well, this is it, guys. The last chapter. I could hardly believe it when I finished it, but here you are. Oh, and I'm writing this several months after I finished the story and I gotta tell you, I CAN'T BELIEVE I WROTE THIS. Well, I hope you've enjoyed reading this story. Look for other things from me, I'm not finished with the Sailor Moon Universe yet.  
  
Sorry, my email's still on the fritz, so go ahead and ask my sister to forward any comments to me, if you want.  
  
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: The format on the story has changed!! If you're reading this revised chapter, you will notice that there are only six chapters posted. This is because my sister is a little impatient and had wanted to merge all twenty-five chapters into one file (Good grief, can you imagine!). Anyway, I've persuaded her to combine them into smaller files. To wit, here's the breakdown:  
  
Chapters 1 thru 5 are now Chapter One  
Chapters 6 thru 10 are now Chapter Two  
Chapters 11 thru 15 are now Chapter Three  
Chapters 16 thru 20 are now Chapter Four  
Chapters 21 thru 24 are now Chapter Five  
Chapter 25 is the Chapter Six  
  
I hope that's not too confusing. Anyway, the chapters will be segmented into they're original parts (1-25), so if you know where you were the last time (Hopefully at the last chapter), then you should be able to find them more readily.  
  
  
PART: FINALE  
  
Yaten followed Brian down the corridor, ignoring the suspicious looks the older man was giving him. Too much had gone on in the past three years for him to be worried about a disgruntled older brother. He was more nervous at the thought of facing Tia.  
Brian opened the door to his sister's study, and stepped aside to allow the other man to enter the room. He glared at Yaten for a moment, his eyes narrowing, before he said in a tight voice, "Wait here. I'll let Tia know you're here."  
Brian gave Yaten a last glare before leaving the room. Yaten stood, hands in the pockets of his suit, staring at the solid oak door. He guessed from the manner in which almost all the people he'd encountered here, that Tia had told them of what had occurred between them. They hated him for leaving her, not that he could blame any of them for it. With her family's money and influence, he knew that they could've found him anywhere in the world. He knew Tia must've intervened, because in the time between their parting and the resolution of the Sailor Wars, no one had come looking for him and no one had tried to make his life miserable.  
The resolution of the Sailor Wars came less than a year after they'd parted, when Usagi had saved them all. He knew he would never forget how her Star Seed and lit up the entire galaxy. It reminded him, in some little way, of how he'd felt when Tia had told him of her feelings and of her pregnancy.  
The last two years had been an arduous time. They'd had to rebuild their world from a devastation that they'd had no idea had happened. They'd been stunned, when they'd returned to their world and found such utter destruction. They almost despaired of being able to start over again. Then, they'd looked at one another, remembering Usagi and how much she believed in them, and they began the long road to restoring their world.  
After two years, the rebuilding was barely begun, but things had stabilized a great deal. The atmosphere once again enveloped their world, and weather was forming again. They'd restored their world's oceans and had seeded it with what it took to restore life on the world. And this past Spring, on the Great Northern Continent, they'd been rewarded, with the first signs of life their world had seen in years. He couldn't describe the feelings that had shot through him when he'd seen the Great Plain covered in green, growing grass.  
He sighed, a small smile on his face, recalling when he'd been given permission to return to Earth. His Princess had smiled, understandingly, "You must bring your heart back with you."  
Seiya had slapped him on the back, sending him staggering, "It took you long enough."  
Taiki's smile spoke eloquently enough for him.  
He was startled when the French double doors at the end of the room opened, letting in a gust of wind. The green gauze curtains billowed in the wind, before softly settling as the wind lost its grip on them. The open doors let in a lot more sunlight that before, and he squinted against the glare. A dark figure was silhouetted there, and as his eyes adjusted to the added light, the figure resolved itself into the form of a woman.  
His breath left him in a soft sigh, "Tia."  
  
She stepped fully into the room. And his breath caugh in his throat. He'd almost forgotten how beautiful she was. Especially dressed this way. Her hair was down, flowing like a deep, auburn waterfall with a slight breeze tugging at the ends. Her skin was a glowing bronze, and perfect with nary a mar. She wore a dress, a soft, leaf green, with gentle, lines and soft edges. Her feet were bare, as if she'd been walking through soft grass. Nestled into the hollow of her throat glittered the locket he'd given her three years before. Instinctively, his hand went to the pendant she'd given him, clutching it gently in his fingers.  
Looking into her violet eyes was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in his life. He was afraid of what he might find there. Terrified that her love had turned to hate during their separation. Then their eyes met and the rest of the world was gone. They stood staring at each other for an eternity, before he walked forward and touched her cheek with his hand.  
She closed her eyes, nestling her cheek against the palm of his hand. It was as if all the intervening years had disappeared, as if they'd only said farewell mere hours ago. Her heart felt as if it had been loosed from bonds which had held her prisoner for an eternity. And now, in an instant, with a single touch, her heart soared free again, high above the world.  
Yaten felt a warmth spread over his thumb and saw that tears were flowing from her eyes. He discovered, surprised, that tears were flowing down his cheeks. Tears that had welled up and spilled over without him even noticing it. They were healing tears, though, and they both recognized it as such.  
"Here, now," Tia cleared her throat, "this isn't why you came, is it? To turn me into a watering pot?"  
"No," Yaten stared at her, tracing the lines of her face lovingly. "No, it's not," he cleared is throat, and turned to look out the windows again. "I expect that you're wondering what's been going on with me. The Sailor Wars are over now. Galaxia has been redeemed."  
"I know," Tia's voice held a trace of amusement. "You found your Princess. The one to whom you were sending your message."  
"You knew?" He looked over his shoulder, surprised.  
"Yes, Usagi told me," she smiled, softly. "When she called to invite me to her wedding."  
"Usagi? Then you knew all along, that she was Sailor Moon?"  
"I figured it out when I realized that you were Sailor Star Healer," she shook her head. "It wasn't very difficult to figure out who was who after discovering one person's secret identity."  
"Do you know why I didn't--," he trailed off when she waved her hand.  
"Yes, you had your duty to your world and your Princess. It was something you held as sacred and something more important than your feelings," she smiled at him again. "You had to rebuild your world."  
"We're nowhere near finished," Yaten couldn't look at her any more. "There's still a lifetime of work to be done."  
"Yaten," his name was a whisper on her lips. He turned in time to catch her up in his arms as she flung herself at him. He stared down at her face and realized that he could see understanding. And love, "Yaten, shut up."  
She reached up, capturing his face between her hands. She brushed her lips against his; the touch of him, the feel and smell of him, made tears start in her eyes again. Their first kiss in three years wasn't a passionate kiss. The feelings behind them were too strong to be contained in a mere kiss.  
This kiss was a pledge. A sacred trust between each other.  
The kiss ended and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. He inhaled her fragrance and reveled in the feel of her against him once more. Her arms were wrapped round him, too, her fingers gripping his coat as if she'd never let him go again. Her face was buried against his throat, and he could feel her warm breath against his skin.  
They stood like that for a long time, neither one speaking, almost afraid to break the mood. Then he felt her giggle into his throat, felt laughter shaking her frame. He loosed his arms and looked down at her. When she looked up at him, he was almost blinded by the joy and love reflected in her violet eyes. They also held an amused sparkle as she said, "There's someone I'd like you to meet."  
He looked at her, puzzled, as she moved out of the circle of his arms and bent down. Then she stood up, with a little girl of two years held in her arms. She smiled at the little girl with hair the same fiery hair as hers, then she smiled at him again, "Yaten, I'd like to introduce you to your daughter, Shikara."  
His heart had stopped, as he stood staring at his daughter. He'd known, but somehow it hadn't seemed real at the time. Like it was just something you read about in a book, not anything concrete. But now, now, he stood frozen, in shock, oblivious to everything except this woman and this little girl before him.  
Shikara cuddled close to Tia, a bouquet of white roses in her small hands. She inhaled the fragrance of her mother, then became aware of this other person standing next to her mother. She looked up, staring solemnly out of brilliant peridot green eyes at the man standing next to them. She stared at him, a completely serious look on her face, for the longest time.  
Then a smile lit her face and it was like the sun breaking through the clouds. She flung herself from her startled mother's arms and straight into her equally startled father's arms. She snuggled up against him, and looked up, a contented look in her eyes, "Dada."  
The effect of this word on him nearly sent him crashing to his knees. A hundred emotions swirled through his system, making him giddy suddenly. He'd never felt such a thing before. Never. It was the most harrowing and the most exhilarating thing he'd ever felt in his life. He was completely unaware of the tears now flowing from his eyes.  
Shikara was totally unconcerned about his tears, on some instinctive level perhaps knowing the tears weren't bad. She raised her head, reached up and touched his tear stained cheek, "Dada. Dada," she repeated, firmly. "Mama," then she turned at looked at her mother, who also stood with tears flowing down her cheeks, and pointed up at her father, "Dada."  
Tia almost laughed at the oh-mother-look tone her daughter had used. She walked forward and put her arms around both her daughter and the love of her life, "Yes, my dear, that is your father."  
Shikara snuggled down into her father's chest, content now, knowing her parents understood their place. She smiled, and whispered, "Dada."  
Yaten stared down at his daughter then looked into Tia's eyes. The light of a million stars couldn't have competed with the light shining out of his eyes. He whispered, "This. . . I can't. . . .I don't know. . . .This miracle you've given me, I can't explain how much this. . . .Do you know what a gift you've given me?"  
"Every time I look into her eyes, Yaten. I know, I know," she rested her head against his shoulder. Then she cleared her throat, "But, there's something I have to tell you."  
"What?" he looked down at her, a puzzled look in his eyes.  
"There's something you need to know about her," she looked up at him. "She's got powers."  
"Powers?"  
"Yes. I don't know if it's because of your genetic history, or if it's because of my exposure to the Star Seed, or if it's because of my own family history. . . ," she trailed off at the look in his eyes.  
"Your own family history?"  
"It's a long story, but there are stories linking my family to sorcerers. . . .But I'd always believed they were just colorful fairy tales. But now, I'm not so sure," she sighed, raising her free arm, pointing it at an expensive-looking vase resting on a Victorian style table "Especially now, with this."  
She spread her fingers, and her violet eyes widened. There was a pressure in the air, like they were in a plane ascending into the sky. Then, suddenly, the pressure was gone and the vase sitting on the table rose a good two feet. Then it settled back onto the table without a wobble.  
"I discovered that I could do this shortly after Shikara was born. The other powers were only the beginning and they've only gotten stronger over these last three years. You should've seen my face when I first realized that the person who was floating the objects around the room was me," she looked up when she realized Yaten was suppressing laughter. She punched him in the arm, "It's not funny," she stopped then laughed at herself. "So maybe it is, but it really was hard in the beginning before I learned to control it. . . . For the most part."  
"And then," she sighed, remembering the year before, "Shikara manifested abilities. The sight of her floating up in the air. . . ," her heart lodged in her throat again.  
"She's that strong?" He looked down at his daughter, awe in his eyes.  
"Oh yes, but it's been kind of harrowing," Tia sighed, dropping her head onto his shoulder again. "She learns to do new things everyday with those powers of hers."  
"I'm so very sorry I haven't been here to help you. I. . . there's no way I can make up for it."  
"No. But it doesn't matter. You're here, now."  
"I love you."  
"Oh, god," she whispered, raggedly. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that again. I love you so much."  
He rested his head against hers, "I've been waiting three years to tell you that again. I came here to bring my heart back with me."  
She looked up at him, a question in her eyes. He leaned his head forward, resting his forehead against hers, "I came back for you. I can't promise that life will be easy. We're still rebuilding. And I can't promise you that there won't be danger. I'm a soldier for my princess, and a guardian protecting my world. But I can't go on without you. You are my heart, my soul. Without you, I am only half a person. I need you in my life."  
"As I need you. I've just been biding my time, here," she traced his cheek with her fingers. "My heart and soul have been with you, on that far-flung world, waiting for the rest of me to join you."  
"Will you come back with me and be my wife? Laugh with me, fight with me, make love with me, all of our lives?"  
"How can I not? How can I not, when without you I don't exist?"  
'Well,' both of them were shocked at the new voice speaking to them in their minds, "it's about time."  
Yaten recognized the voice. Although the memory was somewhat hazy, he still recognized it as the one that had issued from Tia's lips that night in the hospital.  
An vision formed in there minds of a laughing young woman, with fiery hair and brilliant peridot green eyes, standing tall on a plain of grass. And with a start, both of them realized just who it was. They looked at each other, and then looked down at their daughter, nestled so contentedly in their arms. They looked back at each other and grinned.  
  
Several hours later, Brian entered the study. He had his grandparents in tow and a ferocious scowl marred his face. He flung himself into a thickly padded armchair, crossed his legs then immediately rocketed out of the chair to pace furiously back and forth.  
"Where the hell could they be? I mean, it's not like they could've snuck past us," he demanded of the room in general.  
"Relax, Brian, you're going to give yourself a heart attack," his grandfather chided him. "They'll turn up."  
His grandmother said nothing, simply studied the digital camera sitting on Tia's desk.  
"I should never have let that low-life into the house," Brian ground out, his fist clenching in fury. "After what he did to Tia, I should've taken a shotgun and blown his head off."  
"Brian," his grandfather's voice had turned granite hard, "don't you ever, ever say anything like that again. Do you understand me? Never. He didn't do anything to Tia that she wasn't a willing participant in. She made that quite clear."  
"I know," Brian thrust a hand through his hair. "I know, but I can't help it. I've been protecting her all my life and I just can't help it. I just wish I knew where they are."  
"Well, we have people searching now, they should turn something up soon."  
"No, I don't think so," Violet MacKenzie's voice was quite certain. "I think you'd better call off your search party, you're not going to be able to find them."  
"Why not?" Brian frowned.  
"Look at this," Violet pointed at the monitor of the computer which sat on Tia's desk. She'd noticed that the digital camera sitting in the middle of the blotter was attached to the computer and that the computer was turned on. On a hunch she'd nudged the mouse with her finger and a picture had popped up on the screen.  
The picture was of Yaten, Tia and Shikara. Shikara was cradled in the protective cirlce of her parents' arms, a small contented smile on her face. Yaten's arms were circled around Tia and his daughter, in a obviously tender embrace. Tia, her arms around both her lover and her daughter, was snuggled tightly against Yaten's shoulder. Yaten and Tia weren't facing the camera, since this wasn't a family portrait. They stood, staring into one another's eyes, their love for each other plain to see even in this two-dimensional form. The expression of love made Violet's chest tighten in response.  
No, this wasn't a family portrait by any means. It was Tia's way of saying good-bye.  
"They're gone, Brian, and you're not going to be able to find them," she said, suppressing the tears which had come to her eyes.  
"I agree," Daniel MacKenzie's voice was gruff, and she knew he'd seen the same thing she had.  
Brian didn't see anything but the picture, his perceptions tainted by anger, and demanded, "What do you mean by that? Where would they have gone?"  
He began pacing again, then stopped, staring at the rug under his feet for a long moment. Slowly, his energy ebbed away, and his shoulders slumped as he spoke in barely a whisper, "Why? Where is she?"  
His grandparents both embraced him, tears in their eyes, and Violet, both happiness and sadness intermingling on her face, said simply, "Where she belongs."  
  
Finis  



End file.
